One Piece: The Order
by RogerShanksLuffy
Summary: Aaron Hawthorne wants to become a legendary assassin, and vows to take down every single Templar in the New World. Unfortunately for the Straw Hats, He and Luffy ends up dragging everyone else into it as well. LuNa later on. Rated M for language.
1. Aaron Hawthorne

**Okay** , **I don't know why I asked if you want to read my crossover, because I'm super excited about it anyway, so I'm just gonna write it. This story will not be a made-up event, it will take place both before and after the timeskip, through the whole One Piece timeline. However, like I said, this story will focus on me/my character, so there may be some arcs that go by quickly because I won't have a big part in it. I think you'll really like it when it gets deep into the plot. Mentions of the Brotherhood and Order probably won't happen that often until at least Alabasta. The first chapter will be a backstory of my character. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 1**

My name is Aaron Hawthorne. I was born in South Blue. You've probably heard of me somewhere in this region of the world. I lost my parents when I was young, both murdered by Templars because my father was an Assassin. Thankfully, I had one friend who was beside me and helped me through that time. When I was 14, I joined the fishman pirates when Fisher Tiger heard what happened and invited me to go with him. I am well known for that, being the only human member of the fishman pirates in history. It wasn't long after that when we discovered an extremely rare logia devil fruit, and everyone offered me to eat it. It's called the Chaos Chaos Fruit. It gives you the power of chaos, plus the 5 basic elements that make it up: fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. Plus, thanks to that last one, I am the only devil fruit user who can swim. During my time with them, they helped me extensively research the Brotherhood and the Order. I know all about them now, and their infamous past members. Altaïr Ibn La'ahad, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, Connor Kenway, Edward Kenway, Arno Dorian, Jacob Frye. The Templars as well: Robert de Sable, Rodrigo and Cesare Borgia, Haytham Kenway and Shay Cormac, Laureano Torres y Ayala, François-Thomas Germain. I participated in the raid on the Celestial Dragons' home and Boa Hancock and her sisters from slavery. To this day, we're still good friends and I visit her when I can. Afterwards, Fisher Tiger died, and left the Sun Pirates to myself, Jinbe, and Arlong.

Unfortunately, Arlong didn't agree with Jinbe and I on how to continue on with our band of pirates, and he left the crew, forming his own. He, unlike the two of us, believed that humans are inferior. I eventually left as well to go join the Revolutionary Army. I worked my way up to Chief of Staff/Second in command, as Dragon's lieutenant for about 4 years. I witnessed Luffy's birth and heard from Garp about how him, Ace, and Sabo got along. I went to visit them one day, only to witness the Sabo incident, and after we rescued him, I personally trained him to be an officer. After a few years, we restocked at Sabaody Archipelago. It was there when I became one of the most wanted men in the world. After the Sabo incident, I became much more hostile and angry with the Celestial Dragons. One happened to be there acting like a stuck-up bastard and...I murdered him. That's right, not just hit, but I killed him. Admiral Akainu arrived shortly after and fought me. I lost, but Dragon saved me by chasing the marines off. I decided to leave the Revolutionaries and become a pirate. I traveled around with some of the most well-known crews: Red-hair, Whitebeard, and Kuja. Unfortunately, I also went on a small tour on Thriller Bark too, probably one of the worst decisions I ever made. I still hate Moriah, he's a pain in the ass. I suppose it was about that time that I heard Arlong got released from Impel Down a few months ago and started wreaking havoc on Cocoyashi Village in East Blue. With my lightning abilities, I can teleport a maximum of 3 times a day, so I went there to find the village decently intact except for one house. A woman was lying on the ground, dead. Near her were two young girls, crying. I walked over to them. I still remember that day clearly:

"...Was she your mother?"

"Well, foster mother, but yeah. Arlong declared that this village is his property, and he started imposing taxes on us a couple of months ago. If we refused to pay, he'd make an example out of us by killing. Bellemere, she...refused to pay them, and he killed her, right in front of everyone." responded the one with blue hair.

"So this is what he's become now? That heartless monster. I can't believe I was ever friends with him."

"He...he was your friend?"

"Not anymore, he's not." I took them with me into their house and told her everything while the other one with orange hair sat on the couch.

"Nojiko, Nami, I'll go take care of him. Don't worry."

"You don't have to! Arlong was your friend, Aaron!"

"And therefore my responsibility. I'll be back before you know it." I set out to do it, and arrived at Arlong Park.

"Arlong!"

"Hm? Well! If it isn't Aaron. What brings you here?"

"Why am I here? I'm here to kick the living shit out of you." His eyes widened, and before anyone blinked, I flew at him with blinding speed and grabbed him by the throat.

"Hrkk! Gah! You!"

"Listen up. You get out of prison, and this is what you do? Kill a woman with two young girls and leave them on their own?! I may have been your friend once, but right now, I'm going to kill every one of you!" My grip tightened, but somehow, I still saw that friend who helped me research the Order all those years ago. I released him and stood there for a moment.

"I-I can't do it! You were once my friend, Nojiko was right!"

"He he...you see, this is why fishmen are superior! We're not held back by petty emotions! YOU'RE WEAK!" I kicked him in the lungs, knocking him out, and left, heading back to the girls.

"Well?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

"I couldn't do it...I'm sorry..."

"It's all right, I won't hold it against you."

"Where's Nami?"

"Huh? I never knew she left." Just then, Nami ran back.

"Aaron, Nojiko! I got it! I figured out a way to save the village!" She caught up and looked excited.

"I just made a deal with Arlong!"

"...Come again?" I asked.

"He said that if I can get him 100 million berries, I can buy the village from him!"

"And how are you going to get the money?" asked Nojiko.

"I have my ways." I thought of what Nojiko had told me about her sister's behavior. With a bored expression on my face, I pointed a finger at her and said, "You're going to become a professional thief?" She smiled with a sappy grin on her face that reminded me of Luffy.

"Just take care of yourself, Nami. If you ever need me, call. I have to go do some work for Dragon. I'll come back and visit when I can though, I promise." I gave them a hug goodbye, and that's the last time I saw Nami for a while. I still continue to visit Nojiko to this day. It's been 10 years since then, and perhaps I am a different man. I'm about 6'2". I wear a white T-shirt with a long, open black cloak over it. I wear black pants and shoes with it. My hair is shorter, and light brown. My dream is still the same, though. I want to join the Brotherhood and become a legendary assassin, like Altaïr or Ezio. I promised myself I would find the ones responsible for my parents' deaths, and stop the New World Order. Many of my friends don't think it's possible on my own, but I say different. Because after all, "Nothing is True, and Everything is Permitted".

 **End.**

 **What** **did** **you** **think?**


	2. Arlong Park

**Chapter 2**

 **After Baratie**

*bada bada bada kacha*

"Are you there?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"I heard you went to the Baratie and had a bit of a fight. Meet me there."

"You seriously want me to go back there? I just came from there."

"Oh, come on! You're a warlord! I know you have the time to kill, Mihawk."

"...Fine. I'll be there shortly."

 **X**

"Look at this place. What happened?" I asked.

"Wasn't me. It must have been Don Krieg."

"The "Pirate Admiral"? His Bounty's only 17 million."

"Yes, I'm aware. You and I are worlds above him."

"...Have you ever eaten here before?"

"No, you?"

"Once. It's really good."

"I was actually meaning to tell you something. The Templars are attempting to recruit a new member that you are quite familiar with."

"Who?"

"Arlong."

"Wh-What?"

"Apparently, he found a way out of his agreement with that girl you're so fond of. Apparently, she had collected 97 million berries, making her only 3 million short of his promise. However, he had some marines he was working with come and confiscate it and charged her another 100 million, trying to make it look like it wasn't his fault. It was a tactic that the grandmaster respected."

"...Why are you telling me this? You know full well that we're on opposite sides. Your necklace is your official Templar Cross. You're a Templar, and I'm going to be an Assassin."

"We'll always be friends. You should know some of this."

"Come with me and stop Arlong. You owe me a favor from the last time I helped you, you know."

"And you owe me more from your childhood. If I wasn't your friend, if I wasn't there to help you after your parents' deaths, what would you have done? We're friends, and as repayment for feeling weak, I trained you with a sword. Today, I consider your swordsmanship equal to mine. As a small favor, I'd prefer it if you left me to my own business. If I try to stop this, the Order will accuse me of treason and strip me of my title as Warlord. You're on your own this time."

"Hmph. Fine. I'll go by myself. See you later." And with that, I teleported away.

 **X**

"That bastard is going to pay for what he did." I gritted through my teeth, walking towards Arlong Park. Although when I arrived, I saw something I didn't quite expect to see. Most of the park was actually destroyed, some people were battle-worn, scattered here and there, everyone from the village was banded together with weapons, a battle was going on at the top room of the tower, and Nami was wearing a straw hat. What the hell was going on?! Wait, Nami was wearing a straw hat? I took a closer look and recognized it. That's the same damned hat Luffy wears! Did Nami...know him or something? I noticed Nojiko standing towards the front of the crowd and walked towards her. I snuck up behind her and leaned against a wall.

"Nice day, isn't it? What with all hell breaking loose?" She gasped and looked at me.

"W-What are you doing here?!"

"Well, I heard about what happened, and came here to kick the crap out of Arlong, but clearly the job's already taken. Is that Luffy?" I motioned at the boy in the red vest.

"Heh. The one and only."

"Do you really think you could use her better than me?!" yelled Arlong.

"Use her?! What do you think Nami is?! She's not a tool, she's a one of a kind human being! I'll destroy that room if it's the last thing I do!"

"Aw, he cares about you!" I shouted to Nami. She swung her head around, slightly red from what she just heard me say.

"Wh-What did you just say?!" her face flushed.

"Nice to see you too." I responded, arms crossed and focusing on the fight. She hugged me since she hasn't seen me in ten years.

"You've grown up." I said, looking down at her.

"You haven't. You're the same as ever."

"Gee, thanks." I said sarcastically.

"You could still jump in and help him, you know." suggested Nojiko.

"He's got it under control. If he needs help, I'll join, but he doesn't. Besides, this will be good for him. Fighting Arlong is easier for me."

"Because you're stronger?" asked Nami.

"Because I know him better. Remember, I traveled with the Sun Pirates for years, and I know Arlong's every technique. And because I'm stronger." The map room began to get destroyed, and about five minutes later, Luffy had defeated Arlong. Everyone cheered. They all ran to him and began lifting him into the air. Nojiko hung back with me.

"You know, we're probably going to have a big party to celebrate. You should stick around for a while."

"Well, alright- huh? Hold on, my snail phone's ringing." I walked a bit away from everyone.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Recognize the voice?"

"What the hell do you want? I'm busy."

"I think I have a job for you. You do mercenary work, right?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"My organization. I'd like you to temporarily join. I suspect there will be a war starting sooner or later. You'll be our secret weapon, a one-man army."

"A war? You're strong enough, why can't you do it?"

"I'd rather not reveal myself just yet, Aaron. I'll pay you 200 thousand berries to do it."

"Oh? Fine. I'll be there soon enough, Crocodile." I hung up and walked back to Nojiko.

"Bad news. I can't stay for the party tonight. I have to leave soon."

"Ohhhh...but we haven't seen you in forever!"

"I know...but you know I'll come back and visit."

 **Later that night, while partying...**

 **Nami's house**

"So what will you do now? Are you going to stay with Luffy and become a pirate?"

"Yes, I think I am."

"Good for you, then. I'm sure I'll see you around then if you're heading to the Grand Line. Take care, Nami."

"*sob* okay." She almost leaped onto me, crying.

"What's wrong?"

"How do you feel about all this? Your old friend was beaten and is going to jail, and it wasn't even you who did it. Your debt to us wasn't repaid!"

"Don't worry about it. I believe all corrupt people get what's coming to them. Did you know that Arlong was already released from jail once? He deserved to be recaptured."

"Mm." She let go, and we walked outside.

"Have fun with your boyfriend." Her face was steaming.

"He's NOT my boyfriend!"

"He should be. You two are cute together."

"ARGH! Weren't you just leaving?!"

"Hehe. See you later, Nami. Oh, one more thing. I'd appreciate it if you or Nojiko didn't mention me to your friends. It's not my time to see Luffy yet."

"...Okay." I teleported away and left Cocoyashi. Just as quickly, I appeared at Loguetown.

"I'll stay here for the night before heading to Alabasta." I walked into the inn, and paid for a room. At night, I laid in bed.

"Monkey D. Luffy. Hehe...you take after your father, don't you?"

 **End.**

 **So yes, Mihawk is one of the Templars. I'll tell you what: anyone can leave a review or PM me guessing who the Templars are. There are 7 in all, and that's after the timeskip. Closest one will get a PM from me telling them each and every member of the Templars and Assassins. If you get it, please don't tell anyone else and spoil it. Thanks, and happy guessing!**


	3. Loguetown

**Chapter 3**

I walked around town the next day, waiting to see the others again, because I knew they'd pass by for restocking, and especially since Luffy would want to go see Roger's platform. I did take caution, though. Loguetown was littered with marines, and my bounty of 300 million berries was more than a little unsettling on a peaceful island town. I walked by the harbor and noticed that their ship was already in port.

"They must already be in town. Hm?" I looked in the distance and noticed some dark clouds forming. My eyes narrowed. A storm was coming. Another thing I noticed was another pirate ship in port. It looked like the crew wasn't off yet. I used my wind abilities to propel me upward and hover over the ship.

"Oh. It's just Buggy. And I've seen her before too, although she looks a lot hotter now. But that mace and outfit give her away. Alvida...so 5 million and 15 million? Amateurs." I left and went back into town. Before I knew it, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I glanced behind me and started walking again.

"Why are you here, Dragon?"

"I heard you're going to work for Crocodile for a bit?"

"I'd rather not. But it's an opportunity for me. I have an ulterior motive while I'm there. His organization, Baroque Works. I learned that the Templars are also considering inducting him as well. He practically rules Alabasta from what I hear."

"And you'd be right. They were a little disappointed when they found out that Arlong was taken down and that he was going to prison."

"They could always just release him."

"From what I've heard, they are rather upset that he lost to a rookie, and no longer deem him worthy of joining."

"I think it's a little more than that."

"Hm? Something you know that I don't?"

"They would be rather surprised to find out that a prime candidate for the Order was taken out by the son of the Brotherhood's Mentor, wouldn't you think?"

"Mm?! You mean Luffy defeated him?"

"Yeah. He was awarded a first bounty of 30 million. He's in town now, as a matter of fact. He's got 4 others traveling with him."

"I'll be damned."

"Want to introduce ourselves?"

"Not yet. I told you a long time ago, I don't want him entangled in the Assassin-Templar conflict until he's ready for it. He's got a long way to go until he becomes strong enough."

"Fine." I looked up and saw that storm clouds were hovering right over the town. "That storm got here faster than I thought." It began to rain and thunder.

"Hey Dragon...there's a lot of commotion coming from the central plaza. We should check it out." We quickly climbed up to the nearest rooftop, overlooking the plaza with the execution platform.

"Hm?! Luffy's on there! And Buggy's got him hostage..." said Dragon.

"Sorry guys, but...I'm dead!" said Luffy.

"Help him." ordered Dragon.

"He owes me for this." I smiled and switched to my lightning abilities. My hand became engulfed in electricity and I shot a bolt up into the clouds. I held my hand over Buggy on the platform, and then let it fall. The lightning erupted out of the sky and electrocuted him, freeing Luffy and saving him from an untimely death.

"Do...you believe in miracles?" asked one of Luffy's crew members, the chef Nami told me about, Sanji.

"There's no time to think about it, we have to go!" yelled another that was carrying three swords.

"Hm...that must be Zoro, the former bounty hunter. And for the record, no, I don't believe in miracles, cook." I smirked. The three began running, only to be followed by a horde of marines. Although one stood out from the rest.

"Ah?! That's Smoker, the White Hunter! He's a powerful logia captain, and he's heading for Luffy! Dragon, we have to follow them. Luffy can't use haki." We followed them by running across the rooftops, and saw they were eventually separated. Sanji made it back to the ship. Zoro fought a marine swordswoman and won, but Luffy was losing to Smoker pretty quickly.

"It's your turn to save him, I did it last time." He sighed.

"This weather helps us. You can channel your lightning well, and I can channel my wind. **Hurricane.** " A blast of green wind sliced across the area, and Dragon appeared behind Smoker.

"...Why are you here?!" Dragon grabbed Smoker's jitte (weapon) and threw him across the street into another building. Luffy blindly thanked us and ran off. I jumped down next to Dragon and looked at Smoker.

"Grrr...you two. Dragon and his lieutenant, Aaron Hawthorne. You two have such a reputation that the World Government refers to you as 'Children of the Devil'. If I capture you..."

"You're not strong enough to capture us." I said. I switched elements again and fire burned off of my hand, surrounding him. Dragon created wind, enhancing the flames. Smoker was surrounded, and without warning, I clenched my hand into a fist, making the flames close in and leaving him burnt and unconscious when they subsided.

"We should leave. The marines will start hunting us now."

"You're off to Alabasta, right? See what you can learn about Crocodile's operation."

"Alright. See you later." I teleported, and Dragon took off.

 **End.**


	4. Alabasta

"Alright. The way I see it, we don't have that much time left to get rid of these nuisances. Straw Hat and his friends have already defeated Mr. 9's, Mr. 8's, Mr. 5's, and Mr. 3's pair. That's four pairs too many. It's time to get serious-"

I pushed open the doors leading into Crocodile's meeting room. There was a large dining table in the room with all of his high-ranking agents sitting in various seats. Croc himself and Robin were at the head of the table.

"Hope I'm not too late. What did I miss?"

"As a matter of fact, you're really late. What were you doing all this time? I wanted you to be here days ago."

"I took the scenic route. I decided to go around Alabasta, gathering information on how Baroque Works has been doing so far. And from what I've heard, you could use some serious help." I said, taking a seat at the other end of the table. He growled.

"Calm down. I have a solution for you, and it's quite simple. You've been losing to Luffy and his gang because the agents you send aren't strong enough. And I know how strong they are, too. I'd say the only ones capable of truly stopping them are either you or yours truly."

"Are you telling me how to run my company? I know what I'm doing. I'm not going out there until the time is right."

"There's an old saying: if you want something done right, you do it yourself. If you won't, then I will. After all, I'm only doing this for the money, which by the way, you will pay me. I'll get it either way. Pay me like you're supposed to, and everything is great. Betray me, and I'll kill you and take it by force. Which way would you like?"

"...Fine. Go take care of them, and it's yours." I stood up and faced the door, smirking.

"Good. I'm glad we agree. This will be fun. I haven't had a good workout in a while."

 **X**

I stood outside of the building, at the top of the stairs. I could see Luffy and his circle of friends enter the city. I walked off the steps and onto the ground, deciding to introduce myself.

"Took you long enough!" I said, facing them. They lined up, looking confused at who I was, except for Nami.

"Hello, everyone. I recognize all of you, except for you." I pointed at a reindeer.

"My name is Tony Tony Chopper!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, a talking reindeer. You don't see that everyday. You must have eaten a type of human-human fruit, am I right?"

"I'm a reindeer, not a raccoon dog- wait, you can tell that I'm a reindeer?"

"I've seen a lot of things in my time, Chopper. And wouldn't you know it, the princess herself!" Vivi frowned. I turned to Luffy and smiled.

"My, how you've grown. I haven't seen you in ages."

"Who are you? You know me?"

"Yes, but you probably don't know me. I'm afraid it will take too long to explain now, so I'll tell you later. Right now, why don't we have a little fun? Luffy, I'd like to fight you, if that's okay."

"Fight...me? Well, I guess. But don't get mad when I beat you!"

"Heh. Arrogant brat. You're just like him. It's a wonder you brothers aren't related by blood."

"Wh-What?! How do you-?!"

"I told you that I'd explain later, didn't I? Just fight me. Nami, tell the rest of them to stay back."

"G-Guys, stay back! This will be over soon...trust me." she said, a little sad.

"Don't look so down, Nami! I'll take care of this quick!" Luffy started running at me.

"Y-You idiot! You can't beat him!" she yelled, but Luffy didn't listen.

"Do you know that man?" asked Zoro.

"Yes. That's Aaron Hawthorne, an old friend of mine."

"The devil's child?!" yelled Chopper.

"You know him, Chopper?" asked Nami.

"You can't be serious. Nami, that man is world-renowned! Everyone on the Grand Line has heard of him! Luffy doesn't stand a chance!"

"Unfortunately, our captain is too stupid to know any better, so he'll have to find out the hard way." replied Sanji. They all watched the fight.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" I could see his punch in slow motion. I simply side-stepped. Luffy became frustrated as his arm retracted.

"Gum Gum Gatling!" A flurry of fists flew at me, but I remained calm. I used Observation Haki to predict their movements, and blocked each and every one of them.

"That's impossible! Wait...are you a devil fruit user?!"

"Yes, I am."

"What power was that? What fruit did you eat?"

"That was called haki, Luffy. It was not a devil fruit power. In fact, I haven't even used my devil fruit powers yet. Would you like to see them?" Luffy gasped before I appeared in front of him.

"Earth." I flicked his forehead, sending him flying through the streets and crashing into a building, lying in the rubble.

"Wind." I created a small gust around him and raised my hand, raising him up into the sky.

"Lightning." I stuck my thumb, index, and middle fingers out towards him before a stream of blue electricity went up and electrocuted him.

"Hahaha...Electricity doesn't work... on a rubber man like me!" he choked out.

"I know. I was just displaying the power. This one will. Fire." I held out my whole hand and shot a beam of fire at the young pirate. I used the wind to drop him in front of me. He was badly damaged.

"Water." I held my hand on his forehead before water began to coat my hand and form a bubble around his head, making him hold his breath. Eventually, he couldn't anymore, so I let go and he dropped to the ground, coughing up the liquid.

"And Chaos." He glanced at me, blood trickling from his mouth, prepared to die. A pause.

"Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough yet to utilize that one." Everyone fell over from the anti-climax.

"I ate the Chaos-Chaos Fruit, considered to be the most powerful devil fruit in the world. It gives you the power of Chaos, plus the five earth elements that make it: fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. You never stood a chance...haki healing." I blasted a bit of haki into him, restoring his body to peak condition. He stood up again.

"Y-You didn't kill me?"

"Of course not. I would never do that. I do mercenary work here and there, so I'm only fighting you for the pay-off. As you are now, you're far from my level. However, I gauged your true powers while we were fighting. I think you're strong enough to beat Crocodile, and one day, you'll be strong enough to fight me again, if you're anything like the rest of your family."

"...Just how much about my family do you know?"

"I know everybody in it: Garp, Sabo, Ace, Dr- never mind. I'll see you later Luffy." I walked back into Crocodile's room, leaving them there.

"It's done. They're dead."

"Already? That was fast. Here then, take the money." He handed me a big sack full of money.

"Thanks. I'll be off, then."

 **X**

I decided to stick around after the whole war played out to see if I could join Luffy's crew. The man had left an impression on me, and my goal might be easier with him running around to every enemy he sees. I might get lucky and run into one of the Templars. I walked into the bathing house of the royal palace after convincing them that I had always been Crocodile's enemy and was a friend of Luffy's. What a coincidence that they were all there.

"Hm? Oh! Aaron! Come and join us!" Luffy exclaimed. I blinked, and sat with the rest of them.

"Why are you so happy to see me? I almost killed you today."

"But you didn't."

"Hmph. Are Nami and Vivi on the other side?"

"Yeah. Hey Nami, Aaron's here!" She acknowledged by yelling hi over the wall.

"Sanji's been trying to figure out how we could catch her naked."

"...You're thinking too hard, then. It's a simple matter when considering her."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Sanji.

"What's the one thing Nami loves most in this world?"

"Money." responded Luffy.

"Exactly. Watch and learn." I stood up, and jumped up to the dividing wall. Everyone followed my lead.

"W-What the hell are you guys doing?!" yelled Vivi. Nami only glanced over.

"Hey Nami, I'll pay you 200 thousand berries to flash these idiots!" I told her. Without even thinking, she stood up and dropped her towel.

"HAPPINESS PUNCH!" Everyone fell off with nosebleeds.

"That will cost you 100 thousand berries each." I jumped down and went back into the bath.

"You see?"

 **X**

"You want to join my crew, huh? Well, fine! Welcome to the Straw Hat Pirates, Robin!" I yawned and walked out of the kitchen on the Going Merry.

"In that case, Luffy, you can count me in too."

"A-Aaron?! When did you get here?!"

"I've been here the whole time, like Robin. Are you going to let me join?"

"Well...I don't know. You fought me before and almost killed me."

"I told you that was for the pay-off. I lied to Crocodile after and told him that I killed you."

"What role would you fill on the ship? Zoro's a fighter, Nami is the Navigator, Usopp's our Sniper, Sanji's the cook, Chopper's the Doctor, and Robin is an archaeologist. What are you?"

"Well, it's obvious from before that I'm a fighter. But I'm also a Musician, and I know my way around some guns and I'm decent at navigation as well."

"Well, I always did want a musician..."

I sighed. "...I stocked the fridge full of meat."

"Welcome aboard!" Everyone fell over.

"What about the rest of us? What can you help with?" asked Usopp.

"For Zoro, I could teach him some swordsmanship. I'm a longtime friend and rival of Hawk-Eye." Zoro perked up.

"I suppose for the rest of you, we'll figure that out later. Oh, I almost forgot. Here, Nami." I placed a large sack on the table near her.

"What's this?"

"The 200 thousand berries I owe you from before."

"Y-You actually have it?!"

"Of course. I'm a man of my word."

"Well, great, but I said it cost 100 thousand each."

"Then consider both mine and Luffy's debt paid."

"Done." she smiled. "You all could learn a lesson from this! This is a man who actually pays off his debts!"

"How the hell are the rest of us supposed to pay an 100 thousand beri debt when we have no idea how to get 100 thousand berries!" yelled Zoro.

"Figure it out yourself." she taunted.

"So, Aaron, you said you're a musician, correct?" asked Robin.

"Yeah."

"What do you play?"

"I play Euphonium, Trombone, Guitar, and Piano. And I can sing a bit too."

"What's a Eup-Eupon-"

"Euphonium, Luffy. It's a tenor tuba." replied Nami.

"How would you know?" asked Usopp.

"He used to play for Nojiko and I when we were younger. He's quite good. Why don't you play something now? I haven't heard you in a while."

"Well, alright. Sanji, could you make us some drinks?"

"Get your own damn drinks."

"I'll get Nami to give you another Happiness Punch."

"I'll be right back!" He stormed into the kitchen. Nami was slightly annoyed.

"You don't really expect me to do that again, do you?"

"Don't worry, I'll pay off his debt next, when I have another 200 thousand berries." Everyone laughed.

"Hey, Aaron..." began Luffy.

"Hm?"

"I don't know if you knew, but we all have individual dreams to accomplish here."

"Pirate King, Strongest Swordsman, Map of the World, Brave Warrior, All-Blue, Cure All Diseases, Ancient Poneglyphs."

"How did you know?"

"I have my ways. I have my own dream as well. I plan to become a legendary member of the Assassin Brotherhood, and kill every Templar in this world." Chopper hid behind Nami. A few others became worried as well. Zoro started listening, and even Nami was taken back a bit.

"Templar? What's that? And why do you want to kill all of them?" asks Luffy.

"I suppose you should all hear this. Everyone, sit somewhere comfortable. It's storytime." Once they took their seats, I began.

"Well, the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order are both secret organizations that go far back to the beginnings of history."

"Secret Organization? Like Baroque Works?" asked Nami.

"Kind of, but they serve a higher purpose than Crocodile ever did. The Templars are a group that work behind the scenes and want control of the world. Politics, Military, Money, the works. They want everyone to bow down before them and accept their ways. I suppose they're like the Celestial Dragons, only they have the strength to back up their beliefs. That and they aren't oblivious bastards. The Assassins fight against them, believing that the freedom of humanity is necessary. They are in some ways more powerful than the Templars, as each and every soldier is trained to be a professional killer lurking in the shadows."

"Hey, wait a minute." interrupted Robin. "That sounds a lot like the Revolutionaries and Marines."

"You're catching on. The Assassins are the elite members of the Revolutionary Army, while the Templars are the strongest officers of the Navy."

"So who are some of the Templars?" inquired Zoro.

"Well, one of them you've already met. Dracule 'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk." Everyone flinched and gasped.

"Right. And you know then that he's reputed as the world's strongest swordsman. He was only toying with Zoro when they fought, and you saw how that worked out." I motioned to his scar.

"There are 6 in all: Warlord Bartholomew Kuma, Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo, and I already mentioned Hawk-Eye. They are the lowest ranked."

"B-B-But those three are monsters, and they're the weakest?!" screamed Chopper.

"Right. The next three are Admirals of the Navy, the strongest men on the planet, excluding the Four Emperors. Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu, who I'm convinced is their Grandmaster."

"How strong are they?" asked Sanji.

"I had a run-in with Aokiji before, when I was young." replied Robin. "He effortlessly took down a giant named Saul, who was my best friend."

"And although I've met all three, I've only ever fought one. I took Akainu on one-on-one before, and lost easily." Everyone turned grim.

"They also recently were considering inducting both Crocodile and Arlong into the Order. After Arlong's tactic to steal the money under Nami's nose, and Crocodile's way of stealing rain and becoming ruler of Alabasta, they became interested. However, after they both lost to Luffy, they gave up on them, since they only take the best. Don't worry about it too much. I'll cheer you up by playing something, okay?"

"Yeah!" shouted everyone.

 **End.**

 **Fun Fact: I actually am a musician, and play every instrument that I mentioned before. I am going to Berklee College of Music in Boston this fall, and I'm going to study Film Scoring.**


	5. Water 7

**Post Enies Lobby**

It was wide open. The ships were focused on the rest of the crew. This was my chance to really strike a blow against the Templars. Besides, the damage was already irreversible, and they have the resources to rebuild it anyway. I was going to do it.

"Fire Fist!" And there it went. The Tower of Law was obliterated.

"Time to go." I jumped back on the Going Merry.

 **X**

"Straw Hat, you've got to see this! New bounties for everyone! All eight of you!"

"Oh, this should be good." I walked out to see the rest of them.

"Look!" He laid out eight wanted posters.

"Straw Hat Luffy, with a bounty of 300 million berries!

"Ha ha ha! Alright, it went up!"

"Pirate Hunter Zoro, with a bounty of 120 million berries!"

"Heh."

"Cat Burglar Nami, with a bounty of 16 million berries!"

"Nooo!"

"Cotton Candy Loving Chopper. Pet, with a bounty of 50 berries."

"Ah...50?!"

"Demon Child Robin, with a bounty of 80 million berries." Robin just smiled.

"W-What is THAT?!"

"Black Leg Sanji. Attempt to take a photo failed. Bounty of 77 million berries."

"Ugh...my life is over."

"Attempt to take a photo failed? How is that even possible? Idiots." I muttered.

"Hehehe...look, Sniper King has one too!"

"Lastly, Devil's Child Aaron Hawthorne. Bounty of 700 million berries."

"They raised it by 400 million just for destroying the tower? How stupid are they?" I asked again.

*sigh* "Oh. Franky has one too. 44 million, huh? Well I guess that's fair. I'm going for a walk. The rest of you can grieve and celebrate without me." I left.

 **X**

"Hm, it's been a little bit since I left. Maybe I should go back now." I was walking near the harbor when a certain ship caught my attention.

"That figurehead...a dog, huh? I should probably hurry back before he kills Luffy by accident. Why are you even here, Garp?"

 **Back with everyone else**

"The name of your father...is Monkey D. Dragon. The revolutionary."

"...WHAT?!"

"Huh? What's the big deal, you guys?" asked Luffy.

"Are you kidding?! You're telling me that you've never heard of Dragon before?!" screamed Sanji.

"He's a dangerous man, like, really dangerous!" Nami added.

"Robin?"

"How do I explain this? Pirates like us, normally don't attack the Navy unless we're provoked. We like to steer clear of those conflicts. But there's one group in the world that directly opposes the World Government's authority, and that group is the Revolutionary Army. Dragon is the one at its head, and has been labeled the world's most dangerous criminal."

"Ah, I probably said too much, didn't I? Well, forget it, then."

"...WHAT?! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?!"

A pause.

"...Look, Luffy."

"Hm?"

"If you really want to know about your dad that much, just ask your friend Aaron. He knows more about him than anyone else in this world does or ever will."

"Huh? Why him?" asked Luffy.

"Because he was your father's lieutenant for years, and was second in command of the entire Revolutionary Army before he became a pirate."

"Hey Nami, did you ever know that? You've known him the longest." inquired Zoro.

"W-Well, he did mention on a few occasions that he does work for Dragon, but he never mentioned his position as a Revolutionary Commander. Wait, Luffy! That must explain how he knows your family so well! If he worked with Dragon for a long time he must have known about both you and Ace!"

"That's right. Did you recruit him without any knowledge about his background, Luffy?" Garp asked.

"Well, he never really spoke up about anything involving his past."

"Alright, here's a small piece of information. You do know that before his recent raise, his bounty was staked at 300 million berries, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Did you know that that was his first bounty ever?"

"A-Are you serious?!" shouted Sanji. "Luffy just reached that mark after a while, and he was awarded 300 million from the get-go?!"

"Correct."

"What did he possibly do to earn that all at once?" Nami asked.

"He-"

"That's enough, Garp." Everyone turned to look at me as I walked in and sat down at a table.

"If I want them to know about my previous affiliations, I'll tell them myself."

"...So will you tell us?" asked Luffy.

"Sure, why not?" Everyone fell over.

"But just about this part, not my whole life, okay?"

"Fine by me." he grinned.

"Alright. I suppose you've all heard of the Celestial Dragons, right? I know Luffy has." Yes and no were mixed in from everyone's answers.

"Okay, then I'll explain. You see, a long time ago, a bunch of kings from various countries came together. They held a historic conference in the city now known as Mariejois, on top of the Red Line. Their conference lead to form the World Government. The descendants of those kings are known as the Celestial Dragons. Because of their status, they're extremely arrogant, stuck-up, and horrible people. Not even the Navy likes dealing with them."

"What do they do?" asked Nami.

"Well, for starters, they all wear helmets on their head because they think that breathing the same air as us lower life forms is an insult to them. Anything that they say is considered law, so I'll give you an example. Let's say that Luffy and Nami are married." Both of their faces became red.

"Why are you using this example?!" yelled Sanji.

"Do you want to hear this or not?!" Sanji stopped. "Good, now shut up and listen. Let's assume they're ordinary citizens, no devil fruit powers, no piracy, nothing. Just a happy married couple. A Celestial Dragon happens to be going the same way. First of all, everyone has to get on their knees and bow to them because if they don't, they'll get shot, by either the bodyguards or the Dragon himself."

"That's awful..." said Nami.

"It gets worse. Nami happens to catch the Dragon's eye because of her looks. He walks up and tells her that he wants to marry her. If either you or Luffy protest that you're already married, he'll kill you without hesitation."

"What?! So he gets his way no matter what?!" she yelled.

"Exactly. Now, about the bounty. Since the World Government is the Revolutionary Army's main enemy, we're natural adversaries of the Celestial Dragons. I became even more enraged with them after the Sabo incident..." Luffy looked down sadly.

"Sabo incident? What's that?" asked Franky.

"That's a story for another day, preferably when Luffy's not around. I sincerely doubt he wants to relive that hell again. One day, we stopped at the Sabaody Archipelago, the halfway point on the Grand Line. While restocking, a Dragon happened to be there forcing a woman into marriage, just like I used in that example, that's why I used it. Now, if you stand against a Dragon in the first place, they take care of you themselves. However, it's considered a huge crime if you hit or harm them. You are automatically reported to the Marine HQ, and an Admiral along with 5 fully armed battleships are supposed to hunt you down and either kill you or turn you in. What do you think would happen if someone took it so far as to kill one?" I asked maliciously. There was a pause.

"...Don't tell me...you didn't..." Nami started. I looked at her with dark, cold eyes.

"I let my anger get the better of me, and slaughtered both him and his bodyguards in front of everybody. No one had ever done it before. The other Dragons were furious, and demanded that the Navy's strongest soldier be dispatched immediately after me and was to kill me in cold blood without a second thought. So they sent Admiral Akainu after me, and as I told you before, I lost to him quite easily. However, Dragon came in and saved me, as well as the other woman that I helped, and fought the Marines off until we escaped. I was a wanted man since then."

"That's heavy..." said Zoro.

"What happened to the woman?" asked Robin. Garp and I smiled.

"Interesting you should ask that. You see, you all should be grateful that I did kill that Dragon and saved that woman, because she went on to marry Monkey D. Dragon and become Luffy's mother. Monkey D. Amaryllis." I closed my eyes and smiled.

" **WHAT?!** " Everyone screamed.

"You see Luffy," Garp began, "you owe Aaron your life. If he didn't save your mom, you wouldn't exist." Luffy was shocked.

"Twice." I replied.

"Hmmm?" asked Garp.

"I saved Luffy's life twice. The second time was at Loguetown, with Dragon."

"What did you do?" asked Luffy.

"Dragon saved you from Smoker. I helped you slightly earlier than that. Do you think that lightning just coincidentally dropped out of the sky?" Everyone's eyes began widening.

"I recall you asking Zoro if he believes in miracles, Sanji. Divine Intervention, my ass. It was me who saved him from that execution."

You can imagine what happened. Everyone flipped out once again.

"Alright. Enough war stories for one day. We should get going soon, right?"

"Alright, fine. Let's start getting ready." replied Luffy.

 **End.**


	6. Thriller Bark

**I'm going to periodically update the cover image when they become relevant and match the arc they're in. Starting from 3D2Y, and from Dressrosa onward, the events and islands will be made up from my own mind. Of course I'm including Zou, but what happens on it will be of my own devising. The other thing I'm going to start doing is listing the songs that I imagine playing while these scenes are happening. If you'd like, go listen to them for effect. I did say I was going into Film Scoring, after all. Enjoy!**

 **Thriller Bark**

"Hey, Aaron!" I was asleep.

"H-Huh? What is it?"

"A new crew member joined us! He's a musician too! His name is Brook!" Luffy moved to the side, revealing a walking, talking skeleton.

"Pleased to meet you! YOHOHOHO!"

"What's up? Welcome to the crew, Brook." I laid my head back down on the counter.

"That was a really boring reaction, Aaron." Chopper pouted. "He's a living skeleton!"

"I noticed. I've seen stranger things."

"Guys, I'm going to make dinner." said Sanji.

"Alright." I responded, getting up.

 **X**

"Hahahaha! Brook, you're great! I love having you travel with us!"

"Thank you, Luffy, but I'm afraid I have to reject that offer. I know I said I'd join, but I'm afraid I can't."

"Huh? Why not? You don't want to?"

"N-No, I'd love to, but I'm afraid I have a certain condition that prevents me from traveling outside of the Florian Triangle. You see, it's always dark near here so I'm able to stay. After I revived thanks to the devil fruit I ate, unfortunately my shadow got stolen from me."

'! His shadow got stolen? That sounds a lot like...'

"Your shadow was...stolen?" asked Luffy.

"Correct. A certain man possessing a devil fruit stole my shadow from me, and without it, I cannot travel into sunlight, otherwise I'd disintegrate. I've tried to get it back, but I'm afraid the man who stole it is too strong for me." My hand twitched and my grip tightened on the wine glass I was holding.

"We'll help you get it back!"

"Huh?! Really?!"

"Of course!"

"Hold it, Luffy!" Everyone became silent after finally hearing me speak up. I turned to the skeleton.

"Brook."

"Y-Yes?"

"The man who stole your shadow. Is his name Gekko Moriah?"

"Why yes, it is. How did you know?" My grip tightened more, and without realizing it, I unintentionally smashed the glass, making it go all over the floor and in my hand, making it start to bleed."

"Ah! Aaron! You're bleeding!" shouted Nami.

"What the hell?! You just shattered my glass!" yelled Sanji.

"Damned bastard! He's still making that godforsaken zombie army of his?!" I stepped out into the open. Everyone followed.

"Nami, are we still in the Florian Triangle?!"

"Y-Yes!"

"Good. Our next stop is Thriller Bark. I have a bit of business to take care of.

 **X**

"We're here." said Nami. My eyes opened and closed a few times, but when I tried to stretch, I couldn't.

"Huh?" I looked around to find my hands and feet shackled in sea prism stone handcuffs that were tied to a chair.

"What the hell?!"

"Morning!" yelled Luffy happily.

"Don't 'Morning' me, you cheeky little bastard, what the hell's going on?!" Nami spoke up.

"Sorry, but we decided to have you stay on the ship while we go and fight."

"That makes no sense! I know him better than any of you do!"

"And your anger will once again get the better of you. It's best that you stay here this time." I flinched.

"Literally. You put me in sea prism stone handcuffs?"

"Otherwise, you'd just follow us in."

"Where did you even get these?"

"I picked them up in Water 7, as an emergency precaution to keep Luffy in check."

"Ha! Never figured you to be the bondage type, Nami." Her face became flushed, and she slammed her fist into my head.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Ow. Sorry."

 **X**

 _"This is how you plan to become the Pirate King?! By having a zombie army fight FOR you?!"_

 _"It's the best way! A Pirate King needs a giant and powerful crew by their side!"_

 _"But the King himself has to be stronger than the rest of them put together! You don't have that strength. If someone defeats you, you'd just beg for mercy like a coward. A King looks into the faces of danger and death and accepts it! A King should be fearless!"_

 _"Where are you going?!"_

 _"I'm finished with you and your so-called army. That village shouldn't have been destroyed, let alone by the shadows of the citizens. If I ever hear about you and your powers again, I'll come back and kill you myself."_

 _..._

 _"Well?"_

 _"He's not worth it. You don't need a second deranged madman, you already have Doflamingo for that. Moriah relies on the strength of others too much anyway. He's of no use to the Order."_

I sighed, still locked up.

"Lady Perona!"

'Hm? What was that? Is someone else on the ship?' I used haki to break out of the handcuffs and put my ear to the door.

"Ahh!"

"No!"

"Save me!"

Then it became quiet. Too quiet. I opened the door and walked out, but never expected to find who I did. I closed the door.

"Fancy meeting you here...traitor." He whipped his head around.

"You...I thought you'd be off with the others."

"You thought wrong. Why are you here, Kuma?"

"I came to see how the battle was going, and I came to discuss something with Moriah as well."

"If you think you're going to talk Templar with him, you're mistaken. Akainu knows not to invite him into the Order."

"Perhaps, but I'm not here on business for the Order. Just for Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

"Hmph." My eyes moved to his shirt's design.

"What? What is it?"

"I find it interesting how different your badges of office can be. They can be as subtle as yours or as outright as Mihawk's. He wears his around his neck, but yours is imbued into your shirt design. Remove the circle from the crosshair, and move the edges together to form a cross."

"Do you also find it interesting that my orders from Sengoku include capturing you?"

"Not at all...Armament!" I flew at him with my arm hardened. He dodged it, took off his glove, and thrust his hand at me.

I knew better than to be caught by this trap. I couldn't afford to be sent away at this point. I teleported behind him, and chopped his neck, causing it to rip a little. Of course, there was no blood, since he was part cyborg now. He repaired just as quickly.

"You're holding back."

"Of course I am." I responded, cracking my knuckles.

"Why?"

"I don't know either. Let's change that." I lunged again and threw a wave of punches. He dodged them all.

"Do you hold back because you don't want to damage this ship? Or is it because...you still think of me as a friend and can't bring yourself to kill me?"

"SHUT UP!" I threw myself at him with fire and haki encasing my arm. He held his own hands out.

"That trick won't work on me-"

"Ursus Shock."

'What?! Damn it! He must have compressed it before the fight! That liar, he knew I was here all along!' Kuma's strongest air blast hit me straight in the stomach, sending me flying through trees with such force that I tore through them instantly, before a large explosion engulfed me. I fell forward, seeing Kuma walk off the ship before I blacked out, my body covered in blood.

 **X**

"Ugh...my head." I slowly stood up, clutching my ribcage. I was still drenched in blood.

"Huh? It's...morning. How long was I out? Mm! I should go see what's happening with everyone else." I went towards the castle courtyard. After a while, I arrived, seeing everyone up and talking. I glanced around, and noticed Moriah and...a giant zombie? What was with that? Whatever, they were both down anyway. I stumbled towards them, before Chopper noticed me and ran up.

"Wh-What the hell happened to you?!"

"Grgh...long story. How is everyone?" We began walking back to the others.

"That's the strange part. We all passed out after fighting Oz and Moriah. Luffy beat them. When we woke up again, we all felt fine, and the only one really hurt was Zoro."

"...Damage Repulsion."

"What?"

"I know what happened. Let's see the others."

I stumbled over to the rest of them, clutching my ribs.

"Oh, Aaron. You got out of the cuffs, and OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" screamed Nami, noticing the blood seeping into my hands.

"I had an unfortunate run-in with an old friend, and from the looks of it, so did you." I replied, motioning to a bandaged Zoro. Sanji perked up.

"You know him?" he asked.

"Of course I do. He's one of the Templars, and he and I have a long history together...Chopper, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to be healed as soon as possible. I think I'm bleeding out..."

"AH! R-RIGHT AWAY!" Chopper started to stitch and bandage my wounds as I sat down on a barrel.

"...How long until Zoro's awake?"

"Not for a while, why?" asked Luffy.

"...Just wondering."

"Aaron...what do you know about all this? And don't lie." asked Sanji.

"You know, don't you?"

"Yes. I found out." I sighed. By now, all of the other Straw Hats had gathered around and were confused as to what Sanji and I were talking about.

"The technique Kuma used is known as Damage Repulsion. He's able to extract the battle damage others have taken and inflict all of it on another."

"So Zoro..." started Nami.

"Took that hit for Luffy." finished Sanji.

"...What about you?" asked Robin.

"I'm afraid he caught me by surprise and hit me with his strongest technique, Ursus Shock."

"What does that do?" asked Luffy.

"It's an air compression blast." responded Zoro.

"! You're awake!" yelled Chopper. We all walked towards him.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I've been better. Even Mihawk didn't injure me as much as this."

"True, but he left you with a scar. This will heal eventually...you know, Zoro...sorry guys, could you give us a minute alone?" Everyone reluctantly walked away from us.

"There's a reason why he chose you to receive all of that damage."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If he wanted to kill Luffy, he could have easily done so. He was already unconscious after Oz, from what Chopper told me."

"What was the reason?"

"Don't tell the others, I'll tell them when the time is right. The Templars are focused on our crew specifically. They've already taken action, and that worries me."

"Why do you think they're after us?"

"I'm not surprised. After all, Luffy did defeat both Arlong and Crocodile, two of their prime candidates. But this is the second time they've fought you. The first time, Mihawk fought you on a whim, because you challenged him outright. But this time, Kuma made you take that damage specifically."

"What was the reason he chose me?"

"...Each Templar is normally assigned a target. They are supposed to pursue that target until either captured or killed. I have a feeling that Kuma has been assigned to you, which means that Luffy must also be the target of someone."

"Hey, are you guys done yet?" yelled Luffy. "We're going to party!"

"We should leave right after the party, Zoro. I don't like how this is playing out." He hummed in response.

"Did you hear me?!"

"Yes, I'm coming!"

 **End.**


	7. Sabaody Archipelago

**Songs**

 **Talking with Kuma at burnt land: Never Meant to Belong (Bleach OST)**

 **Kuma separating Straw Hats: Soundscape to Ardor (Bleach OST)**

 **Chapter 7**

"Well, here we are, everyone. Sabaody Archipelago." Nami stated as the ship docked. I leaned over the railing, staring blankly into the distance. She noticed, too.

"Hey, what's wrong? What are you doing?" asked Nami. She put her hand on my shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Just...reminiscing."

"About the last time you were here?"

"Right...This place is nothing but bad memories for me. Sorry, I just want some time alone." I jumped off the ship and walked off, leaving Nami a bit stunned.

 **X**

'I wonder if it's changed at all.' I thought as I approached the area where Akainu beat me into the ground the last time. The trees were still bashed in and all of the ground was still burnt and destroyed. This area of the island had been abandoned since that battle. It had taken quite a while to get here from the ship. I started turning around.

"Leaving already?" asked a familiar voice. I stopped and glanced behind me.

"I have something important to tell you."

"I'd rather not talk to you right now." I said rather coldly, shoving my hands in my pockets. I began to walk away again. Kuma sighed.

"Your captain just punched a Celestial Dragon, and now the Navy has deployed Kizaru to kill the Straw Hat Pirates." I stopped again.

"What?! I should go help them, then."

"Hold on."

"What is it?"

"We need to discuss a plan. You won't be able to do this on your own, you know. There's too many soldiers to be able to save all of your friends. Their defeat is inevitable." I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth.

"Then what?"

"Leave it to me. I have to send them away, there's no other choice. Otherwise, Kizaru will kill them."

"Can you at least send them all to the same place?"

"I'm afraid not, my power doesn't work like that. I know where I send them, but they are sent at random. If two end up on the same island, it's purely coincidental."

"Then at least tell me where you sent Luffy after it's done."

"Alright."

 **X**

I couldn't stand it. After fighting off all of the navy soldiers, I watched Kuma send my friends off, one by one.

"Zoro! Brook! Usopp! Franky! Chopper! Sanji! Nami! Robin!" I shouldn't be mad at Kuma. He was helping us. The real one responsible was the Celestial Dragon. And they support the Templars.

"Kizaru...KIZARU! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!" I jumped down and sliced my own sword against his.

"You really think you can beat me as you are? Don't make me laugh."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're no Sakazuki. I think I can take care of you on my own."

"Hmph. You're right. I'm not Sakazuki, but I'm pretty close." I gasped as his sword parried mine out of my hands and stabbed me in the chest. He kicked the sword into the air, and shot light bullets into it, disintegrating and destroying it.

"Hurry the hell up, Kuma!" I yelled. It was then that he sent Luffy and rushed over to me.

"Amazon Lily." he muttered, before touching me with his palm, sending me off flying.

 **End.**

 **I know this one was short, but I never really imagined big parts in the pre-timeskip. My big battles will be Marineford, 3D2Y, and especially Dressrosa. After that, on the island after Zou, that I decided to name Solacia. It would actually really help out if you guys gave me some ideas for island names.**


	8. Zou

**Just so you guys know, I also plan to keep the concept of Admiral Transformations and Luffy's Fifth Gear the same in this story. Both will be included. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go read from chapter 36 to the end of A New Era. Also, chapter 6 of The Dark World would be another good reference.**

 **Songs**

 **Choosing Assassin wardrobe: Venice Rooftops (AC2 Soundtrack)**

 **Sages Dialogue: Arno's Return (AC Unity Soundtrack)**

 **Reading about Ace's Execution: I Will Beat You (One Piece OST)**

 **Blackbeard Dialogue: Karakuri Defense System, Activate (One Piece OST)**

 **Entering the Animus: Yasha's Theme (Asura's Wrath Soundtrack)**

 **Exiting the Animus: In Your Belief Ethnic Version (Asura's Wrath Soundtrack)**

I winced, and slowly opened my eyes to a blinding light. My eyes adjusted to the room, and found myself lying on a bed in what looked like an infirmary.

"What? Where am I?" I looked down at myself and saw that my chest was covered in bandages.

"Ah, I see that you're finally awake. Welcome back."

"Huh?" I looked over to see someone leaning against the doorway. My eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sabo?"

"It's been a while, Aaron."

"Yes, we haven't met face to face since I left with Shanks." I stood up.

"I see your wounds are finally healed."

"Finally? How long have I been out?"

"About 5 days. Dragon sensed your battle with Kuma through Observation Haki, and told us that the Straw Hat Pirates were separated, including you."

"So that was five days ago? Kuma's ability takes 3 days for someone to finally land on an island. I was asleep here for two, then?"

"I wouldn't exactly say asleep, more like unconscious. Kizaru's wound did a number on you.

"Yeah, unfortunately. I underestimated him. I figured that even though he was an Admiral, he wasn't as strong as Akainu, and I would be able to take him on. I was wrong…"

"Right. Kizaru is older than you, and was one of the New World Order's founding members, so he still has the advantage of experience over you."

"Advantage is a bit of an understatement. I was completely outclassed. I haven't mastered haki yet, and I still didn't unlock chaos through my devil fruit. In addition, my sword was obliterated by him."

"...Get dressed and come with me. Dragon wanted to speak with you as soon as you woke up."

"He's here? Where are we?"

"The Brotherhood's infirmary."

"Really? Then we're…"

"At the headquarters in Zou, yes."

"Heh. That's the luckiest thing to ever happen to me, being sent to here, of all places." After putting my usual shirt, pants, and black overcoat on, I walked out into the open with Sabo, and saw the Revolutionary army and Assassin Brotherhood hard at work, as usual. Training, doing administrative work. Those who were on break were swimming, watching TV, and listening to a jam session concert at the stage. It was nice to know that nothing had changed. The New World Brotherhood has always had the idea that sometimes we don't need to be discreet. If the situation calls for it, we should tell the people of the dangers and atrocities that the Templars are planning. Dragon was at his usual place, standing atop the highest cliff, looking down over the waterfall where recruits would practice their leap of faith and dive right into the pool. I walked up to him.

"Dragon, Aaron is up."

"Thanks, Sabo. Could you leave us alone for a little while?" He nodded and left. I walked up and stood next to him.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For carelessly attacking Kizaru."

"That's not your fault, it's Luffy's for attacking that Celestial Dragon in the first place."

"No, it's the Dragon's fault for being a Dragon." We silently agreed.

"Now then, I think that it's about time that we upgraded your armor a little bit, and perhaps your wardrobe while we're at it."

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's time that you officially join the brotherhood." He started walking, and I followed him.

"What?! But I'm not ready yet, especially after what just happened on Sabaody."

"It's precisely because of Sabaody that I want you to join us now. And I'm afraid that there's also a bigger reason that I'll get to shortly." He led me into the outfitter of the island. The entrance and first room was a large space that had many casual and modern outfits hung around on the walls. We walked past the counter to the back corner of the room where the wall was blank.

"You know what to do." he motioned at me. I sighed and walked up to the wall and said my name.

"Aaron Hawthorne." Suddenly, part of the wall disappeared, and a retinal scanner along with a handprint scanner lit up a light blue. I scanned my eye, and placed my hand on the scanner. Dragon did the same.

"Monkey D. Dragon." He scanned his eye and hand as well.

"Welcome back Aaron, Dragon." greeted the automated voice. The wall slid open, leading into another, bigger part of the store. Arms and weapons of every kind laid out along the walls and shelves. In addition, mirrors, fitting rooms, and all of the essential clothing pieces of an assassin were hung up and displayed everywhere.

"It's time. What color do you want?"

"You know my color. Black." Dragon grabbed a black hooded piece that looked similar to Altair's fabled armor that Ezio had worn nearly 500 years ago.

"Try this on." He handed it to me, and I went into the fitting room. A few minutes later, I stepped out clad in a black assassin's uniform with a black cloak style, making the end trail a little bit. A red sash was tied around my waist, and the outfit had gold lacing around the wrists and other areas of the fabric. A red and gold cape decorated the back of it.

"You look good in that. It's a nice change from your standard outfit that you've been wearing for God knows how long. Alright, next, your hidden blades. He handed me a pair from one of the shelves.

"These are our most advanced model. Every weapon is hidden inside of it: hidden pistol, phantom blades, rope launcher, poison darts, and of course the blades themselves."

"They're so light...how did you manage to fit everything in there like this?"

"We have our ways. Did you forget that the Revolutionary Army has some of the best mechanics in the world under their control?"

"Did you forget that I was the Chief of Staff for 5 years? Of course I know that." I fitted the blades on, and then tested them out by extending them.

"Excellent. Sword and Dagger time." Dragon led me to the sword rack where I picked one out.

"How about this one? The Milanese sword. I like it. It's light like a rapier, but still sharp and deadly. And for daggers...I'll take this one, the Notched Cinquedea. The blade is nice and big, and sharp too."

"Good. Now take these. Gold Plated Pistols. They're top of the line." I took them and stored them in holsters attached to my waist.

"I think it's time. Come with me." I once again followed him, this time to the library and archives. He brought me to one of the back rooms where several complex machines were set up.

"Do you know what these are?"

"It's an animus."

"Right. They let us relive the lives of our ancestors. There's a reason why I've always been so eager for you to join the Brotherhood. You know about Templar Sages, right?"

"Yes. Every now and then, a Templar Sage will be born and will have the ability to hear and understand the thoughts of Aita, Juno's husband and member of the first civilization, making them special. Jacques de Molay, Bartholomew Roberts, and Francǫis Thomas-Germain, just to name a few."

"Did you know that the Assassins also have sages?"

"What?! No, I didn't."

"Once in a blue moon, a very special assassin is born into this world, and they will be able to not only hear the thoughts of, but communicate telepathically with the legendary assassins in the history of the world thus far. The phenomenon is even rarer than a Templar Sage, though. The most recent Sage of the Assassins was Ezio Auditore."

"I remember that. During his time in Constantinople while studying Altair's library, Ezio could potentially see Altair's image through Eagle Sense as if he were standing right there next to him. So that meant that he was a Sage?"

"Exactly. Now, the interesting thing about Assassin Sages, and I think that you'll like this part. You see, Assassin Sages are supposed to be Legendary Master Assassins and mentors. Whoever is a Sage is said to be destined to become a Legendary Master, just like the previous ones. Through years of research, we have discovered that a Sage must also be related to the previous one in some way or another, no matter how distant. Even if it's just the slightest drop of the ancestor's blood, they still have the ability and capacity to be a Sage. I believe that you are destined to become the next one."

"Me?"

"You clearly have the strength and ability required for it."

"Well sure, but I thought that a Sage must also be related to the previous one?"

"You are. I had a feeling, so while you were in the Infirmary, we tested your blood, and it checked out. You are related to each of the previous Legendary Assassins through various different paternal and maternal lines. You are a descendant of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Connor Kenway, Edward Kenway, Arno Dorian, and Evie Frye."

"Not through Jacob's line?"

"No. Jacob and Evie were twin assassins, but of course they both got married to different people, and you are directly descended through Evie's line. However, because she was Jacob's sister, you are still related to him, and can still access his memories."

"Hey wait...if I'm descended from the Kenway line as well, then I'm also related to Haytham?"

"I'm afraid so. And Shay Cormac as well."

"Really? Sorry, but all of this is a little overwhelming. It seems a little unrealistic to be related to every single one of these people."

"Well, if you think about how big a family tree can become, each direct ancestor could have potential siblings, each parent has another paternal and maternal line on their own. It keeps branching out until you can't keep track of it anymore. To be a Sage, I said that you have to be distantly related to them at the least, not strongly or directly."

"Right. Why are we here again? You still haven't explained that part to me yet."

"We're here...because of this." He handed today's newspaper to me. I took it and read the front page.

"Wha-?" I whispered.

"Pretty bad, isn't it?"

"It's way worse than that! Ace has been captured and is going to be executed in a few days?!"

"Keep reading." I read aloud.

"The one responsible for finally capturing the powerful pirate was a man named Marshall D. Teach, a pirate with no previous bounty. Instead of collecting the 550 million beri bounty on his head, Teach and his associates offered Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku a proposition. Due to Crocodile's recent demotion from one of the Seven Warlords, the Marines had been searching for someone worthy to take his place." I looked at Dragon.

"...Don't tell me that Blackbeard is a Warlord now?"

"Pretty interesting stuff, isn't it? Of course one of our most elite assassins was watching the meeting. Ace is an associate of ours, after all. He's the son of Gold Roger, and Luffy's adopted brother."

"And he's my responsibility."

"What?"

"I made a promise to both you and Garp that I'd always watch over Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, and never let them die, remember?"

"Of course. After the meeting there, our spy tracked him for a little longer. Do you know where he went?"

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm dead serious. Akainu and the rest of the Templars held a meeting and invited Teach to join the Order."

"And did he accept?!"

"No, surprisingly enough."

"Really? Why?"

"It seems that Blackbeard has his own agenda to carry out, and isn't much for following orders. It seems that even though he now knows that the Order and Brotherhood exist, he doesn't really care about them, and wants to take over the world with his own power and crew."

"He's still a threat, no less. And although I'd be able to defeat him, I'm still no match for the Admirals. If I'm going to participate in Marineford, then I should at least be armed with the skills to survive."

"I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, we only have a day or so. So, you only have time to experience and gain the repertoire of one of your ancestors."

"...Load Ezio up."

"That's what I was thinking. Since Ezio was one of the most skilled Assassins in history, you'd benefit the most from his experience through the bleeding effect." Dragon pressed a button, and I laid down on the machine.

"You're going in now to the year 1476, the year where Ezio's life as an assassin began."

"Wish me luck." I closed my eyes, and suddenly, after a few moments, I was in Ezio's point of view.

 **X**

Dragon turned the animus off, and after readjusting my eyes, I stepped out.

"How do you feel?"

"...Powerful. Much stronger than before. Like I can take on anyone."

"Go look in the mirror." I did as he said.

"My eyes changed color?"

"Only temporarily. Your eyes changed from being hazel like normal to one green and one yellow. This is a power known only to Sages, known as the Sage's Madness. It is a type of superficial transformation, where your abilities are increased much further than your base form's power. There is also a second stage of it where both eyes turn red in color. Try it."

"...It didn't work."

"So I guess that you've only unlocked the first stage so far. That's okay, though. It will prove to make you more than a match for those Admirals at Marineford."

"One other thing." I smiled. I deactivated my eyes. I showed Dragon my hand. All of a sudden, I manifested a black and purple vortex with small dark purple lightning bolts creating static around it."

"You've unlocked Chaos?"

"And got more adept with my haki as well."

"Then you're ready. Come. It's time for your induction ceremony into the Brotherhood." I followed him to the main corridor of the hideout, where I saw some of the other recruits standing on the sides, watching. Dragon walked up the stairs to the top of the room, and motioned for me to walk down the middle. I did, and stood up there with him.

"In this world, there are those who wish to control it for themselves, the Templars. However, there are also those who wish to stop them, the Brotherhood. Do you swear to uphold the tenets of our creed, and to fight for the freedom of humankind?"

"I do."

"Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent, hide in plain sight, and never compromise the Brotherhood. Do you swear to uphold these principles at whatever cost?"

"I do." Dragon took out a silver chained necklace with the Brotherhood's symbol hanging from the bottom of it.

"Nothing is true, Everything is permitted. 'To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.' These are the words recited by Ezio Auditore himself. Do you swear to follow this principle until death?"

"I do."

"Aaron Hawthorne. Welcome to the Assassin Brotherhood." He handed the necklace to me, and I put it around my neck.

"This necklace is a symbol of Master Assassin status. I am starting you at that rank because of your skills and prior experience."

"Thank you."

"All other Master Assassins wear this on their necks as well." Dragon pulled out his own.

"You do know who all of the others are in case you ever need to contact them, don't you?"

"Of course. Hancock, Jinbe, Rayleigh, Shanks, and yourself."

"Good. Now, where are you going to go?"

"I'm going to head to Amazon Lily to get Luffy and visit Hancock. Then we're off to Marineford."

"Alright. Do your best. And Aaron…"

"Mm?"

"Don't die." I closed my eyes, and teleported away.

 **End.**

 **Yes, those are the other members of the Brotherhood that I chose. They are against the World Government and Marines in their own way, and I thought that they were a good choice.**


	9. Amazon Lily

**About the songs. Starting now, and especially after the timeskip, I will be listing many different Attack on Titan songs. Most of these songs, if you listen to them, have two or three parts/movements to them. Each part could potentially sound very different from each other, so I will be listing which part of the song that I would like you to listen to. Enjoy!**

 **Songs**

 **Hancock's bath and conversation: Vogel im Kafig part one (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Luffy's choice: At Our Parting (Sword Art Online OST)**

 **Slave Brand Conversation: Man of the World (Naruto Shippuden OST)**

 **Hancock Master Assassin Reveal: Unity (Assassin's Creed Unity Soundtrack)**

I appeared at the main entrance of Amazon Lily. One of the Kuja women walked up to me.

"You! What are you doing here?! Men are not permitted to be on this island!" I wasn't looking at her.

"Didn't one of your higher ups ever tell you about the two exceptions? This place hasn't changed at all. Hancock is slacking off with training her new recruits."

"Lady Snake Princess doesn't train us herself! Hey! Wait a minute! How dare you talk about her so disrespectfully!"

"I saved her and her sister's lives, I think I'm allowed to talk about her however I damn well want."

"You...saved their lives?"

"That would be accurate, yes."

"Are you by any chance...Fisher Tiger?"

"Don't be stupid girl, the capt- Fisher Tiger's been dead for years."

"What's going on here? Why are you shouting so much?!" came another female voice, one that I recognized.

"Oh, Sonia. Finally, someone who knows me."

"Ah! Aaron! I do hope that Ms. Julia here didn't cause you any inconvenience!"

"Well, she didn't have a clue as to who I was, so all she did was yell at me. You need to remind these women about myself and Rayleigh more often."

"Oh, I apologize. We'll make more of a habit of that in the future, I promise. Julia, this is Aaron Hawthorne, a good friend of my sister's."

"You mean that HE'S that legendary pirate and revolutionary that is supposedly invincible?!"

"Yes, that's the one."

"O-OH, I'M SOOO SORRY, LORD HAWTHORNE! PLEASE FORGIVE MY IGNORANCE!"

"I will if you stop screaming at the top of your lungs, Julia." I said, covering my ears.

"Oh, er...I'm sorry."

"Thank you. Sonia, is Hancock in?"

"Yes, she's about to take a bath. Would you like to see her?"

"Please."

"Follow me."

 **X**

"Sister, someone's here to see you!" Sonia called in from the outside of the bathing room.

"Well, send them out! You know that I don't want anyone near this place when I'm bathing."

"...Just go in, Aaron."

"I thought you'd never ask." I opened the door, to see steam everywhere and Hancock submerged in the water up to her neck. I closed the door behind me.

"Didn't you hear me? I said no visitors-" She looked behind her and stopped.

"Oh, it's just you."

"Oh, that's the welcome I get? Nice to see you too." I took off my boots and socks, and sat next to her, dipping my feet in the water.

"What are you wearing?" she asked.

"Don't you recognize it?" I lifted my hood over my head, and pulled out my necklace.

"Oh my God, congratulations!" She stood up and was about to throw her arms around me, but I held my hands out.

"Maybe later, Boa. The armor's brand new, and I don't want to get it wet, nor do I want you to cut yourself on my swords or knives." I smiled.

"Oh. Right." She got out and sat on the side with me.

"I'm surprised that you trust me to be in here with you. You don't even let Rayleigh or your sisters in here."

"No, I don't. It's because I'm closer to you, and I owe my life to you. And that's worth a lot more than just covering myself up. I mean, I of all people know that you were never really one for romance."

"But what about all those times that Mihawk and I went to Solacia together to party at your strip clubs when we were younger?"

"You've both changed, and you're not just lovesick men anymore. What can my body accomplish in your presence at this point?"

"If you try hard enough, I may become turned on and get an erection."

"Ugh, you're so vulgar." She got back in the water. I laughed.

"You know, I meant that as a compliment."

"How was that supposed to be a compliment?"

"I'm saying that even you could be stronger than me if you tried. Face it, you're the most powerful woman in the world, and stronger than most men, too. Not because of your haki, although that helps a lot. It's because of your dangerous combination of your beauty and devil fruit. If anyone has even the slightest interest in you, they can get turned to stone. And since you're the most beautiful woman in the world, you can capture the hearts of almost anyone. And like I said, if you're seductive enough, you could even entrance me."

"What, like this?" she whispered in my ear in a sexy voice. A slight blush crept onto my face, which made her laugh.

"I don't like to brag, but you're right. And plus my years of managing Solacia give me immeasurable experience in that department. I've told you before, that even though I'm not a stripper officially, the boss has to know her way around the profession."

"And you do, too. I've seen your act before when you use the pole. You put on QUITE a show." She blushed heavily. I took my feet out of the bath, dried them, and put my socks and boots back on.

"Are you going to come out?"

"Yes, I suppose." As she just stood up, the ceiling collapsed. We both gasped as an object fell into the water.

"Wh-What just happened?!" she shouted. The figure finally rose out of the water, and he looked all too familiar to me.

"Ah! Now where am I? Oh, you! Are you Boa Hancock, the one that the others keep talking about? Oh, that mark...I've seen it before…" She quickly turned around so that he couldn't see her back, and folded her arms across her chest to cover her breasts.

"Y-You've seen this symbol before?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah, I think. It was kind of like that. Arlong had one, Aaron too."

"Aaron?" She looked up at me.

"You know him?"

"AARON?! YOU'RE HERE?!" screamed Luffy at the top of his lungs.

"I obviously don't."

"YOU MOST CERTAINLY DO, MISTER! Who is he?!"

"He's my captain, Monkey D. Luffy."

"Luffy? You don't look too surprised that he's here."

"That's because I'm not. Kuma told me when he separated us that he sent Luffy to Amazon Lily. I came here because I knew that he would turn up eventually."

"You should have told me, but it's too late. Besides yourself and Rayleigh, no other man is allowed on this island. Marigold, Sandersonia!" the two sisters came into the room quickly.

"You are to publicly kill that man in the arena!" she pointed to Luffy.

"WH-WHAT?!" he screamed. He looked to me for help.

"Aaron! Help me out here!" I thought for a minute.

"Mm, no. Sorry Luffy, but you're on your own on this one."

"WHAT?! But it wasn't my fault!"

"It was, actually. Hancock has an important rule on her island that all men save for myself and Rayleigh are allowed on it. It was also your fault that you just crashed through her bathhouse and saw her mark. So in conclusion, yes. It was your fault."

"That's not fair!"

"I rest my case." said Hancock. She stood up and dried off, quickly putting clothes on.

"Aaron, escort him to the arena, please." she asked.

"Of course." She left along with her sisters.

"Come on. This way." I started walking with Luffy following alongside me.

"Luffy, it's not as bad as it sounds. Normally, I'd get you out of a situation like this, but I think it will be good experience for you to fight against Marigold and Sandersonia. They both use haki, so it will be a good test to earn Hancock's trust. I'm confident that you'll win. Besides, it's not like you're fighting Hancock herself."

"Why? Is she strong?"

"Very. She's one of the Seven Warlords."

"She is?!"

"Yes. She can use all three types of haki, just like Rayleigh, and with her devil fruit, anyone who shows any romantic interest in her can be turned to stone."

"Do you think I would win against her?"

"Probably not. I know that you're not affected by her beauty, so her devil fruit would be useless against you. But her haki would probably do you in. She has one hell of a kick, you know."

"...You know her well, don't you?"

"Of course I do. She's my best friend."

"I thought my dad was your best friend."

"Dragon and I are close, but it's more of a cooperation type of friendship. We're allies with the same goal. I'll follow him unquestioningly, but Hancock is more of the type that I hang out and go have fun with. I suppose it's like she's another member of the crew, in my opinion. She's kind of like how you and Zoro get along. You're the best of friends and allies, and always get along and have fun together. It's like that."

"I see."

"We're here." I picked Luffy up by his collar and tossed him into the arena.

"Good luck!" Luffy looked angrily at me, then turned to see Marigold and Sandersonia facing him. The battle then ensued, and before long they transformed into their snake forms. I walked up to Hancock and made a chair out of my earth powers. I sat down next to her. She put her arm around me and pulled me into a hug.

"Huh? What was that for?" I asked when she let go.

"For before, when I was still in the bath. Congratulations again, on becoming a Master Assassin."

"Oh. Thank You."

"Why didn't you ask me to let Luffy live? I know that he's Dragon's son, and that he's an ally of the Brotherhood."

"This is a good test for him. Luffy's strong, but he won't survive a week if he goes off into the new world at this point. I can sense that he has all three types of haki in him, just like you, but he's not quite aware of it yet. He only just learned what haki is from Rayleigh. He doesn't know how to use it at all. This is a good chance for him to gain some experience against other haki users. It was very lucky where he and I got sent. Kuma sent me to Zou, and Luffy here, to an island ruled by a Master Assassin herself."

"And I heard about the Sage thing and the Ezio training from Dragon. He called me before I went into my bath. He said that you can use the first stage of Sage's Madness and that you can finally use chaos, and therefore unlocked the full ability of your devil fruit."

"And yet he didn't tell you about my induction into the Brotherhood?"

"He mentioned that there was one other surprise, but didn't give me the details. You know how he is. Can you show me your eye color change?"

"Sure." I turned to her, and closed my eyes. After concentrating my haki for a few seconds, I opened them again, and felt my power spike.

"Amazing. One's green, and one's yellow."

"Yes." I deactivated them, and they went back to normal. "Can you tell me why it's called Sage's Madness? Dragon didn't explain that to me. I assume you know about it as well. Is there a risk involved?" She sighed.

"Yes, in fact, there's a huge risk involved. What did Dragon tell you about it?"

"He said that all Assassin Sages have the ability to use a superficial transformation known as Sage's Madness. By using it, our eyes change color, and our power is multiplied, making us almost unbeatable. He said that there are two stages of it, the first one that I demonstrated, and a second one where the eyes turn red in color. He said that since this ability is new to me, that I shouldn't overexert myself, or I could cause my body to go into physical and mental relapse."

"That's right, but there's a much bigger risk to it, and it's happened every single time except for one."

"What is it?" She placed her hand on top of mine and held it tightly.

"You see, the reason why it's called Madness is because the Sage usually doesn't have the mental capacity to withstand both the power surge and the previous Legendary Assassins communications. That's why the power has a sanity effect on the brain, in which the power determines that if the wielder is not worthy of the ability, it makes them go crazy, and gives them the mindset or a radical Templar, to kill every Assassin in cold blood, and then commit suicide."

"..."

"As I'm sure you can guess, the one Sage who did not have this happen and was able to control the power was Ezio Auditore da Firenze. And since you're his descendant, I can only hope that you also have the ability to withstand and control such an enormous power." She squeezed my hand tighter.

"So do I." We didn't let go of each other's hand and looked back into the arena. Luffy then unleashed his conqueror's haki unknowingly, and everyone in the stadium became unconscious. We felt some of the power blow the wind back towards us, making our hair flail around a little bit. Hancock gasped.

"I told you that he possesses it."

"And it's very strong as well." The fight continued, but now the sisters were much more cautious than before, thanks to his frightening potential. But even after releasing Second Gear, he still had a bit of trouble fighting them. Eventually though, as I predicted, Luffy defeated the both of them.

"Hey Sonia, quickly, grab onto the railing before you fall into the pit of spikes!" shouted Marigold. Hancock looked angry that they lost.

"I knew he would win." Then I noticed something. The fire on her back burnt off part of her cape, and her slave mark was in plain sight. My eyes widened.

"Um, Boa, we should do something about that." I pointed.

"What? ...N-No! Her mark will show! You have to cover it!"

"On it." I was about to use Shave to get over there, but Luffy beat me to it. He jumped on her back and covered it. Hancock's eyes widened, and I stopped quickly.

"Don't move." he told her.

"W-What? What are you doing? Mari, hurry up and kill this man! Don't worry about me!"

"I-I can't, Sonia! He's protecting us!"

"Wh-What? What do you mean?" She suddenly heard shouting in the audience.

"Oh no! The fire on Lady Sonia's back burnt off her cape! The Gorgon's Eye will be exposed!"

"What?!"

"I said don't move. You said that you'd rather die than let someone see this mark. So they shouldn't see it." I relaxed a bit and looked over at Hancock who looked she was about to cry.

"Everyone clear out before the curse activates! The show is over!" she called out. She started shaking and sobbing slightly. The girls cleared out of the arena. I put my arm around her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." Once everyone was gone, Luffy got off of Sonia, and helped her back into the arena. Hancock took my arm off of her and walked forward and started going down the stairs. I followed her.

"...Thank you for protecting our secret. You have my gratitude, Luffy. And for that, I'll give you something as a reward. Pick something. It's your choosing."

"Well, can you turn these girls back to normal from their stone statues?" The three sisters looked shocked that he would suggest such a selfless request.

"Yes, I can. But didn't you also say that you needed a ship to get off the island and go find your comrades?"

"Oh yeah, you're right!"

"I'll tell you what? You can have whichever of these two requests that you want, but you can't have the other." Her sisters smiled evilly. She whispered in my ear.

"I know he'll choose his friends over saving those three."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Huh?"

"Really?! Then you'll save them?!" He bowed his head to her. "Thank you so much!" The three were shocked. Never before had they ever met someone like this.

"Told you." I told her. Hancock looked slightly annoyed. She walked down the stairs and past Luffy.

"Such a strong Haki, and yet not a moment's hesitation. He bows his head for the sake of others." commented Gloriosa.

"That's just the type of man that he is. That's why he convinced all of his crewmates to join him thus far." I responded to her. After she changed them back, she looked down at Luffy.

"Later on, after dinner, I want you to come see me. We need to talk. Aaron, I hope that you'll attend as well."

"Of course."

"Okay." responded Luffy.

"I'm going to start preparing some food for the island. The chefs will pitch in as well, of course." She walked off, her white cloak trailing behind her. The other two sisters went back to their human forms, and followed her out of the arena as well, leaving just Luffy and myself.

"Come on, let's follow them." I told him. "Hancock doesn't cook herself that often, we should appreciate it." We started walking.

"Have you ever tasted her food? Is she a good cook?"

"Yes, I've had it before. She's an excellent cook, though not quite as good as Sanji. But you'll eat pretty much anything, so what does it matter anyway?"

"Hehe, I suppose you're right."

 **X**

"WOW! THIS IS SOOO GOOD!" screamed Luffy, eating everything in sight. All of the kuja warriors were crowding around him, asking him stupid questions like 'Can all men stretch?' and 'Why do men have the ability to produce steam from their body?' I joined the Boa sisters up at the top of the dining hall. I sighed with my hand on my chin.

"These girls need to get out more. They've never met a single man before in their life. They're sheltered."

"It's for their own protection, I know you know that. At some point or another, a man will break a woman's heart. And although I act like a stuck-up snob to them, I wouldn't wish that upon any of them. There is no cure for a broken heart."

"And you've contradicted that statement four times now." She looked at me confused. I counted on my fingers.

"The Captain, myself, Rayleigh, and now Luffy. And come to think of it, if they knew that you were a Master Assassin and worked alongside a bunch of other men, and even under one: Jinbe, Shanks, and Dragon…" She looked at me annoyed.

"But they don't know that I'm a member of the Brotherhood. So those last three don't count."

"Even so, they know about the other four now. One of your guards even asked me if I was Fisher Tiger today when I got here. Sonia had to clear things up." She chuckled.

"That's because she was relatively new. She must have only just gotten inducted into the Kuja recently."

"That's what I told her. The Captain's been dead for almost 25 years now. Wow."

"Does it hurt to think about him at all?" she asked, concerned.

"Not really. He died of a sickness, which was unfortunate, but every time I think of him...I think of what happened afterwards, with us splitting off into the remaining Sun Pirates, and then to the Arlong Pirates. Arlong…" She placed her hand on mine.

"It's okay, you know that he's in jail now."

"Yeah...Yeah, you're right…" I looked at her outfit the elegantly patterned red, yellow, and white dress, and white cape draped over her shoulders.

"You should wear the blue one more often."

"You've told me before. That's your favorite, isn't it?"

"Yeah...Is that really all you do to hide your necklace, is stuff it in your cleavage? You can still see the chain, for God's sake." She blushed.

"I think it's smart. No one will ever get to see my boobs anyways, besides you and I guess when Luffy fell into the bath."

"Yeah, but I think it's kind of ridiculous to hide something where most guys are going to end up looking anyway. That, and the fact that they're huge only enhances that concept."

"Whatever." She finished her plate and put it down. 

"Come with me, and grab Luffy." She walked into her room, down the long hall, and I turned to follow her.

"Luffy!" I shouted. He looked at me, and I waved him over.

"In a minute!" he called back. I turned and continued to follow Hancock. I closed the doors behind us.

Luffy opened the doors and closed them once again, running after us. Hancock sat up on her throne, her snake Salome wrapped around her. I stood on the steps and leaned against the wall, while Luffy sat at the bottom and looked up at her.

"I want you to see this." she said. She took off her cape and top, and turned around. She pushed her hair to the side, revealing her slave brand.

"You said you saw something similar to this mark, correct?"

"Yeah, both Aaron and Arlong had one tattooed on their backs." I took off my armor and revealed my tattoo to them.

"This is similar to Hancock's mark, but different. It's the mark of one of the Sun Pirates. Our captain, Fisher Tiger, branded us with this mark as a sign of honor. He wanted us to band together as brothers, and always complete a common goal by working together." I put my armor back on.

"My mark on the other hand," Hancock began, "Is the mark of someone who has been...branded a slave by the Celestial Dragons. They made my sisters and I do sick tricks for their amusement against our will. In fact, that's why we're devil fruit eaters. They made Marigold and Sonia transform and made me turn men and women alike into stone just to laugh and drink with one another. And of course, if we refused, they would beat us senseless." Luffy's eyes were dark as he listened to this story. I continued where Hancock left off. Luffy looked at me as I began to spoke.

"About 25 years ago, when Hancock and I were still teenagers, and I was still a rookie pirate, Fisher Tiger organized a raid against Mariejois to save all of the slaves that were being held hostage there."

"Did it work?"

"Yes, it was a great success. For the first time in history, the Celestial Dragons got what they deserved, and all of the slaves were freed. I personally helped the Boa sisters get away, and it was then that I was able to awaken my devil fruit powers for the first time." Luffy looked back at Hancock.

"I owe Aaron my life. If it wasn't for him or Fisher Tiger and the Sun Pirates, I would probably still be their slave today, or maybe even dead if they had gotten sick of me...So what do you think?" she asked, pulling her clothes back on.

"...Hancock." he started.

"Mm?" she asked.

"I've had my own problems with those damn Dragons in the past. One killed one of my brothers when we were kids, and just recently, one continuously shot one of my friends and badly hurt him, so I punched him in the face with all of my strength." Hancock's eyes widened. She looked at me.

"Did that really happen?" she asked.

"Yes, on Sabaody while you were out on your pirate raid. Kizaru was going to kill all of us, and nearly killed me too, until Kuma saved us by sending us away. That's why Luffy ended up here."

"I-I see. Are you okay? How badly did Kizaru hurt you?"

"He stabbed me in the chest."

"WHAT?! Oh my God, are you okay?!" She ran to me and placed her hand on my chest.

"I'm fine, Boa. Dragon healed me with his haki."

"Oh, good."

"Speaking of which...Luffy. I think we should tell you this. You know that I'm a Master Assassin, right? I pulled out my necklace to show him. And that your father, Dragon, is the Mentor of the Brotherhood, right?"

"Yeah, you told me before."

"Well, I'd like to formally introduce Hancock to you as another Master Assassin of the brotherhood." She pulled out her necklace to prove it.

"Whoa! Really?!"

"Yes, so as the son of Dragon, she'll be one of your greatest allies and confidants. Stay close to her."

"I will."

 **X**

I walked into her room after hearing the other girls scream. I immediately saw Hancock laying in bed, a heavy blush on her face. She looked like she had an intense fever.

"Wh-What's going on?! What's wrong with her?!"

"She's lovesick! She's in love with Luffy!" yelled Gloriosa.

"...hehehe HAHAHAHAHA!" I burst out laughing.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?!" yelled the sisters angrily.

"The fact that Hancock's finally fallen in love, and it's with LUFFY of all people! I'm sorry, but that's just too good! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"You know, the previous Empress died from severe lovesickness!" shouted Gloriosa.

"Yeah, but that was because she never left the island, and the distance got to her. As long as Hancock sees Luffy once in a while, she'll be fine...Why is she in love with Luffy of all people anyway?"

"It's because...he's the first man to ever...reject me." she responded slowly.

"Sister! You're awake!"

"And I suppose that even if he says no, which I have a feeling he will, that you're going to keep trying harder and harder to win his affection, aren't you?" She looked at me, and then looked back up at the ceiling.

"I thought so. I know you better than anyone. I'll watch over her, girls. Go grab Luffy."

"Yes." they responded, and left. A few minutes later, Luffy walked into the room, and Hancock was feeling better anyway. She looked at him and sat up.

"Hancock? Are you okay?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine, Luffy."

"Good. I came here to ask a request of you."

"What is it?"

"...I want you to answer the Warlord's summons and take Aaron and I with you to Marineford." I glanced over at the two of them.

"Of course, Luffy. I'd follow you anywhere!" she said happily.

"Actually, Boa…" She looked at me.

"If we go straight to Marineford, then we'd be setting ourselves up with an ambush. We'll get there before anyone else will. We should go to Impel Down first to see if we can break Ace out of prison first. Could you set up an appointment with them?"

"I suppose so. I'll call them in the morning, and if they say yes, then we'll set sail right away!"

 **X**

"We're heading out. We'll be back soon." Hancock told her sisters before joining us on the Navy ship. Luffy was hidden under her robes. I encouraged her to wear her Assassin hooded cloak to be able to hide Luffy, and thankfully, she took my advice

"Here we go! Off to save Ace!" shouted Luffy.

"Luffy, you idiot! You'll get us caught!" I yelled at him in a hushed whisper. Hancock placed her hand on her face and shook her head.

"You're both idiots."

 **End.**

 **Whew! That was a long one. I was actually thinking that this one would be pretty short originally, but it was my longest one yet. I wanted to elaborate on my relationship with Hancock and her status as a Master Assassin, which I think I did a pretty good job of doing. To be honest, she's probably my favorite pick for the Brotherhood, as the others just make a lot of sense. I hope you liked it. :)**


	10. Impel Down

**Songs**

 **Vs. Minotaur: Master Assassin (Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Soundtrack)**

 **Level 5.5 Entrance: Can't Hold Us (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton)**

"Here we are." stated Hancock. "Impel Down."

"I'll be going, then. Good luck, you two." I got off the ship and climbed up part of the wall of the entrance. I opened a vent that was big enough to crawl through, and slipped in. It turns out that the vent led into the camera and surveillance room.

'How lucky for me.' There were two guards on duty, and when one was below me, I dropped out and assassinated him. The other one quickly got up and turned around, but before he knew it, I had stabbed him and ended his life. I went and locked the door and sat down in front of the camera screens.

"Where's Hancock and Luffy…? There!" I saw Hancock get escorted in by one of the guards and led into one of the rooms. She quickly influenced the guard and turned her to stone, allowing Luffy to get out and go off on his own. Hancock then turned the guard back to normal and everything proceeded as planned. I unlocked the door and snuck out.

"Level 1. This is the place with the spiked floor, right?" I had only ever been to Impel Down once before while infiltrating the Order to earn Akainu's trust. I saw a figure run past me.

"Luffy?" I called out. He stopped and turned around to look at me.

"Aaron! Come on, let's go!" We started running together.

"Luffy, listen. Impel Down has 6 levels to it. This is the first, where small-time criminals are kept."

"So do the reputations increase as the levels do?"

"Yes. I'm willing to bet that Ace is on the sixth level, the lowest one."

"Alright! Then we just have to keep going!"

'Hey, that voice...could that be?'

"Straw Hat!" A prisoner called out to us. We stopped and walked over to the prison cell.

"Buggy?" asked Luffy.

"Oh, no. Luffy, can we leave him?"

"I don't know, he could help us out. He probably knows this prison better than we do."

"Luffy, I've been here before. I know this place better than he does! We don't need Buggy!"

"But strength in numbers, right?" Luffy broke open the cell door and let Buggy out.

"You'd better not get in our way, Clown." I told him.

"Oh, be quiet! As long as there's treasure at the end of this, I'll go with you two!"

"You want treasure? Fine. How about I'll pay your own bounty's value to you when this is over?"

"Really? 15 Million berries?!"

"Sure. But you have to come with us."

"Oh, fine. Besides, with you here, Aaron, what's there to fear?"

"A Marine Admiral, but one won't show up. Let's go." We continued on to find the entrance to the second level through the giant spike pit.

"We have to jump through there to get to the second level." I pointed.

"You're crazy! There's no way we can make it!" screamed Buggy.

"Just trust me!" I jumped, and Luffy after me.

"Damn it! Whatever!" Buggy jumped as well.

 **X**

"Level 2. The one with the animal guards. They're like pseudo-Zoans." We started running again.

"Wait!" We stopped quickly, as a shadow was making it's way towards us. When it turned the corner, it was the Minotaur guard.

"Oh, damn. Leave this to me! Go on!" Luffy and Buggy continued on. The Minotaur looked at me, and swung its club. I dodged it, and it smashed a large crater in the ground. I landed again.

"That's quite a powerful swing, considering that you don't use Haki. But that's what makes the difference between us. Armament Hardening! Shave!" I teleported to him before he could see it and punched him with all my might. He was sent flying back into the wall, unconscious. I undid my haki, and exhaled.

"I should keep going." I started running after Luffy and Buggy again. Eventually I found them next to another cell, talking to someone else.

"Oh, great. Now who is it, Luffy?" I walked up to the rest of them.

"Oh, Aaron! You're done already?"

"Of course. It only took one haki powered punch. Hm?" I looked in the cell.

"Oh, great. It's you." I said loathingly towards Mr. 3.

"A-Aaron! What are you doing here?!"

"I'm here with Luffy to break Ace out of prison. Nice seeing you." I began to walk away. Suddenly I heard the cage door open.

"Luffy…" I began.

"His Wax-Wax powers can make duplicate keys, he'll be useful."

"...Fine. Let's keep going. Not too many more friends, okay? We really should hurry."

 **X**

"Welcome to Level 3, the dry desert." We kept going. I tried to activate my water powers, but they dried up.

"We should go through here as quickly as possible, Luffy. My water powers have no effect here, so we can't stay hydrated."

"Got it! Huh? That voice…" Luffy ran up to one of the cells.

"Here we go again." The rest of us walked up to the cell door with Luffy.

"Oh, Bon Clay. It's been a while."

"Ah, hello Aaron. We were just having a nice ballet routine in here."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was lovely." I said with a disturbed face.

"Bon, you should come with us to save Ace!" suggested Luffy.

"Sure!" I opened the cage for him.

"Oh, so you're okay with him, but not us?!" yelled an annoyed Buggy.

"I don't like you two, though. Come on." They looked infuriated.

 **X**

"Level 4. The one that's hot as hell." The Minotaur reappeared.

"Back for some more?"

"Let me do this one." said Luffy.

"Second Gear! Gum Gum Jet Rifle!"

"Those things are so weak." I said, as the Minotaur crashed to the ground.

"Yeah to you guys, because you're freaks of nature!" yelled Mr. 3. "To the average prisoner, he's a monster!"

"A weak one."

"ARGHH!" We continued on, until eventually we reached the exit into level 5.

"There it is! Level 5! The frozen level!"

"Too bad that you'll never reach it. What a shame." said an unknown voice that seemed familiar. A large figure walked across the bridge. He was a demon race.

"Magellan." I looked at him.

"Well well, no wonder why you've been able to get so far. Two of the most powerful and notorious pirates in the world, and 3 others who are decently well-known."

"You make us sound like amateurs!" yelled Buggy.

"That's because you are." Magellan and I responded at the same time.

"HEY!"

"...Guys, leave him to me." said Luffy.

"What?! Luffy, you're crazy! Do you even know who this is?! It's Magellan, the warden of the prison, and a logia devil fruit eater! You don't stand a chance!"

"I don't care! I'm going to rescue Ace! Now go!" Then I remembered something. Something Dragon had told me about this place before I left for Amazon Lily.

"Alright! Guys, follow me!"

"No way! We're leaving!" yelled Buggy and Mr. 3. The two of them took off back towards the exit of level 3.

"Idiots. I suppose they want to use the confusion to get out their own way."

"I'll stay and help Straw Hat!" yelled Bon Clay.

"Hmph. Do as you wish. Shave. Armament Hardening." I teleported to Magellan and punched him back a fair distance, creating a time frame long enough to be able to head off into the next level.

 **X**

'I know for a fact that Luffy won't be a match for Magellan if he can't use haki. Luckily, Dragon told me that Ivankov has been hiding out somewhere on level 5 for quite some time now, and they have an undercover base setup. I just have to find it. Oh, could that be?' I walked over to what looked like a rock with a tunnel carved through it. I heard something on the other side...music.

"This must be it." I entered, and walked through a dark corridor for a minute or two before walking out into a giant party with colors streaming everywhere, disco balls on the ceiling, and people dining at tables. A few of the musicians were singing.

"...Yep, this is definitely where Ivankov is." And then someone walked out. He was wearing sunglasses, a yellow coat, and had a strange haircut.

"Inazuma."

"C-Commander! What are you doing here?!"

"I need Ivankov's help."

"Of course." A moment or two later, the man himself walked out.

"Hello again."

"Nice to see you! What brings you to Newkama land?"

"...That's what you named this place?"

"Brilliant, isn't it?"

"No. I need you to help my friends recover from Magellan's poison."

"Oh, I don't know if I'm able to do that. A logia poison is much stronger and on a completely different level overall, you know."

"I'm not an idiot. I'm asking because I know that he will survive. His will is too strong to die here."

"Who is this man?"

"You'll find out." On cue, Bentham walked in practically frozen and carrying a damaged Luffy on his back.

"He's going to die if someone doesn't treat him fast!" the man yelled.

"Ivankov."

"R-Right! Alright, bring him this way." He led us down a hall where a large iron door stood before us.

"I'll take it from here." He carried Luffy into the room.

"...And now we wait." I said, and left to go back to the main entrance.

 **X**

"H-He's alive!"

"Hm?" I got up and walked back to where the others were. All of the prisoners were standing in front of the door, seeing Luffy back on his feet.

"Luffy. You're up."

"Yeah!"

"That's good."

"What do you mean?!" yelled Mr. 2. "You were the only one throughout our entire chant for Luffy to survive to not participate!"

"That's because I don't need to chant for him to live, I already know he will. Luffy's got the Will of D within him, and that's all I need to know."

"Hey, Iva! Inazuma! Why don't all of you guys come with us to help save my brother Ace!" suggested Luffy. I looked over.

"No, sorry. I can't leave this place until a certain someone makes his move out in the real world."

"Who?"

"The strongest man in the world! You see, we're part of the Revolutionary Army! So until our commander decides to put our plan in motion, I can't leave! That man is the Revolutionaries' Leader! Dragon!"

"Oh, you mean Dad?"

"Yes, your father…WHAT?!" He flew to the back wall, looking like he just heard the most shocking news in his life. He probably did, too.

"Y-Y-YOU'RE DRAGON'S KID?!"

"You never knew?" I asked him. "Dragon's full name is Monkey D. Dragon, the son of Navy Hero Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. Luffy's Dragon's son, and a notorious pirate."

"No, I DIDN'T know, thank you very much for telling me!"

"All members of the Assassins know that. Dragon told every one of us to look out for him."

"You forget that I'm not a member of your precious Brotherhood! I'm only part of the Revolution, fool."

"You're the fool. You're one of the commanders yourself, and you never bothered to ask Dragon if he had a child or not? Even Kuma knew that much."

"Don't compare me to him."

"...We're getting off topic. Come with us to save Ace. As your superior and your boss, that's an order."

"Hrghh, fine. We'll go. Come on, guys! Let's go fight some Marines!"

"We have to go down to level 6 from here. That's where Ace is being held."

"There! That's the entrance to level 6." Ivankov pointed to the exit.

"Guys! Stay here! Aaron, Luffy, Inazuma and I will go take care of this part!"

 **X**

"Level 6. I haven't been down here in a long time." I began walking around, and pulled my hood off.

"Well well...look who's come to visit."

"That voice…" responded Luffy. I walked up to the rest of them and looked into the cell.

"Oh, it's only you."

"Aaron. I hate you. It's your fault I'm stuck in here. You lied to me and took the payment from me. Then Straw Hat beat me and sent me here."

"It's your own fault for not confirming that I killed them, you know. You knew that I didn't like the idea of working with you. Idiot." I walked away.

"Ivankov, let him out. I'll keep him in line if he doesn't help us." He opened the cage and the former warlord stepped out of his cell for the first time. I continued walking to the back of the hall.

"Well look at you." I looked down at Jinbe.

"Aaron? What are you doing here?"

"Breaking you out." I used haki to break the door down and destroyed his handcuffs. I tossed him a Master Assassin necklace.

"Here. I suspected you'd need a new one, so I brought a few extras." He put it on.

"Thank you. Now let's go save Ace."

"Oh, what's the matter? You're not going to let me out either?!" asked a familiar voice. I walked up to another cell and looked in only to find Arlong sitting there with a savage smile on his face.

"...Go to hell."

"Touchy, aren't we?! You know about my strength! Why don't you let me help you get Ace back?"

"I'm not here to break you out. I only came to break Ace out, but now that I know that he's at Marineford, we're leaving, and we're going to leave you here to rot, as well."

"...You've changed." he laughed. "It's your eyes. Back when you told me that you'd kill me, you had a look of mercy on your face." He looked at my necklace and outfit. "But now that you've joined THEM, and you've begun your training, your eyes have changed. They're more...what's the word? Evil? Savage? **Feral.** That's it. It's like you have no emotion left in you but anger. What happened to you?"

"..." I walked away with the others now armed and ready to kill.

"Let's go raise some hell." I said finally, as we exited level 6.

 **End.**

 **I'm skipping the last parts of it, because everyone knows that it will be a shitload of fighting, most of which Luffy's not involved in thanks to Teach and the rest of his squad. So Marineford's next. Get ready for a hell of a show. :)**


	11. Marineford

**By the way, the cloak for Demon Mode is similar to the chakra cloak of Naruto's mid-level Nine-Tails forms, the dark red ones, only mine are black and purple for chaos. I also changed Shanks and Teach's actions a little bit so that Shanks actually displays some of his abilities.**

 **Songs**

 **Warlords/Admirals Preparation: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)**

 **Joining the Battle: Giant Stronghold, Takeoff! (One Piece OST)**

 **Face-Off with the Admirals: Facing Three Admirals [Hangeki no Noroshi] (One Piece OST)**

 **Vs. Akainu Round 1: Cometh the Hour part A (Bleach OST)**

 **Ace vs. Akainu: Akainu Attacks (One Piece OST)**

 **Whitebeard vs Akainu and Demon Mode Transformation: Madara Uchiha Theme (Naruto Shippuden OST)**

 **Demon Mode vs. Akainu: In Your Belief (Asura's Wrath OST)**

 **Vs. Akainu's Transformation: Cometh the Hour Part B (Bleach OST)**

 **Defeat by Kizaru: Powerful Enemies [Kizaru's Theme] (One Piece OST)**

 **Shanks Appears: The Very, Very, Very Strongest (One Piece OST)**

 **Shanks challenging Blackbeard: Blackbeard (Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Soundtrack)**

 **Luffy's Recovery: In Your Belief Piano Solo (Asura's Wrath OST)**

 **Luffy's Recovery part 2-speech to him: Overtaken (One Piece OST)**

 **Revisit to Marineford: Omake-Pfadlib (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Combat Animus: Straw Hats, Begin Counterattack (One Piece OST)**

"They moved Ace's Execution time up?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's what I came to tell you." responded Luffy.

"I see. How much longer until we get there?"

"About a half hour." responded Jinbe.

"Okay. I think it's time that you called everyone out here. I want to go over the Navy's forces with them."

"Got it." Luffy went to gather them all.

 **X**

Hancock walked into the lounge for the warlords still wearing her cloak over her. Salome followed closely behind and she took a seat opposite of the others that had shown up. She glanced over at Kuma.

"Something wrong?" he asked her.

"Not at all." she smiled.

"I assume that Straw Hat Luffy is dead, right?" he asked again. Some of the other warlords looked over, surprised at what he had just said. She laughed a bit.

"I'd expect you of all people to know that he's not. Why do you think I decided to answer the summons for this war?" They were silent for a moment before Mihawk spoke up.

"You did this for their sake, didn't you?" he asked, as he noticed that she was wearing her necklace. Of the times that he saw her, she didn't really wear that symbol that often. Say what you will about her odd personality, the Pirate Empress was a master when it came to stealth and to keeping things a secret from others.

"So you know about him, then?" she asked.

"Of course I do. I had a nice little visit over at Amazon Lily before I came here." Hancock's facial expression suddenly became bewildered. He was one of the men strictly not to be allowed onto the island, especially because of his Templar status. If he got on, he would have had to fight, or even kill some of her comrades and underlings.

"How many did you…?"

"Not a one. Your sisters gave me the information I required, and I left. As simple as that." Hancock felt relieved, and sighed.

"I know about the two of you." she said. "You give Aaron information on some of the Templars' actions when he needs it."

"Yes, I'm afraid he has that impression on all of us." responded Doflamingo. "Whether it was through the Brotherhood…" he glanced at Kuma; "Or because of a long-time friendship…" he looked over at Mihawk; "Because of anger and betrayal…" he looked at Moriah next. "Thanks to saving your life…" He looked back at Hancock; "Or because he's a member of the family…" he pointed to himself; "Aaron had strong connections with all of us before we became associated with the Brotherhood or Order, and we don't allow ourselves to forget that. We all love or hate him."

 **X**

"Admiral Aokiji, are you ready to head out, sir?" asked the escort. Aokiji picked himself up.

"Is it that time already? Alright, I'm on my way."

 **X**

"Kizaru, sir, we should really hurry up and get there soon."

"I know, but I like to take my time enjoying what this place looks like before a battle. You do know that however well we do, this place will take some damage on it no matter what? It's going to happen. You should appreciate what Marineford looks like at its best. And besides, did you forget my devil fruit's power? I'm the fastest man in the world, I can hurry up before anyone blinks."

"Y-Yes, sir. Forgive my insolence."

"Don't worry about it."

 **X**

"Sir, are you ready to go out there?"

"Tell me, what do you think of pirates?"

"Sir?"

"Just answer the question."

"Sir, from the pirates that I've met in my life, they're thieves and criminals that don't deserve to be around."

"That's the right answer. Could you get something for me? In the top drawer of my dresser, there's a small box. Bring it over."

"Of course." The escort went and retrieved the box, and handed it to the Red Admiral. Akainu opened it and took out a small key resting inside. He walked over to his bedside night table and placed his hand on a bronze dog figure. After turning the head to the right 90°, the back of the wall opened to reveal a black safe. Akainu placed the key into the lock, and entered the combination. After opening it, he took out his Templar necklace and placed it around his neck." He closed the safe and wall again.

"Don't tell anyone about that, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's go. It's time."

 **X**

Akainu walked into the room with his ornate ruby and gold Templar necklace in plain view.

"Are you all ready?" he asked.

"Of course. Let's do it." Mihawk stood up and walked out of the room, Hancock followed closely behind. The other three stood up and started walking out of the room after Sakazuki.

"Moriah." He stopped the giant warlord for a moment.

"What is it?"

"I know that you're a relatively new member of the Order, but we like things to get done efficiently, and don't tolerate failure. Because of your recent incident at Thriller Bark, you're status isn't doing too well. This is your chance to redeem yourself. Fail here, and you're finished. Understand?"

"...Yes."

 **X**

"The Navy's most elite soldiers have been assembled from the corners of the world. We number about 100,000 soldiers." One of the officers was telling a subordinate.

"And in the front of all of them, are the 5 current warlords: Bartholomew Kuma, Gecko Moriah, Donquixote Doflamingo, Dracule Mihawk, and Boa Hancock. And at the top, in front of the execution platform, are the Navy's strongest force: the 3 Admirals! Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu!" The three walked out and sat in the chairs in a relaxed position. Everyone cheered.

"They're so...intimidating." one of the soldiers commented.

"Did you two wear it?" asked Sakazuki.

"Right here." they both responded, Kizaru and Aokiji pulling out their own Templar Crosses.

"Excellent. Today is a big move for the Order. Although none of the Whitebeard Pirates are actual members of the Brotherhood, it will spook some of them just knowing that we have the means and power to do so. Plus, we've been handed a golden opportunity to kill of of their Master Assassins. Thanks to Jinbei's refusal to fight in this war, he was thrown into Impel Down for Treason against the World Government. After the war, I'm sure I can convince Sengoku to let us execute him."

"Mihawk." Hancock leaned over to him.

"What is it?"

"Both Aaron and Luffy are coming to fight in this war and save Ace, and I'm sure that they'll drag along Jinbei, Crocodile, and some other notorious figures. What will you do when he shows up?"

"Well at the moment, executing Ace is the top priority. I'm sure thanks to Aaron's past and reputation, and also Luffy's lineage and reputation, that they'll still be targets for those three, but their capture and/or death is none of the Warlords' concern."

"...You're welcome back to Solacia any time, and you alone from the World Government."

"Why are you concerned about that now, Empress? I'm not the type to be interested in Romance and Clubbing."

"I know that, but...I suppose that you're the only decent Templar among all of them. Aaron always told me about the titles that he assigned to the rest of you: 'Traitor', 'Tyrant', and more. You're the only one left that he likes and respects." she said with a sad face.

"Hancock...thank you. I may take you up on that offer after all, too."

"No problem, but you'll have to wait a little bit so I can get back there and check on how things are going."

"Of course. I'm a patient man."

 **X**

"Alright, listen up. These are the forces we're facing. I just used my observation haki to detect their presence at Marineford. First off are the 100,000 navy soldiers stationed there."

"100,000?!"

"Let me finish. That's the least of our problems. Secondly, are the 5 Warlords stationed there. Thanks to Jinbei's betrayal, that's one less that we have to fight, and it's even better that he's fighting with us. Also, sense Blackbeard's away at Impel Down, we don't have to deal with him either. Plus, Hancock won't attack us because of our connections. She'll be on our side as well. But the other ones won't be the same way, I guarantee you that. Kuma, Moriah, Doflamingo, and Mihawk will fight for the marines without question."

"All four of them, huh?" mumbled Luffy.

"Unfortunately, they're not our biggest threat. At the very top of the hierarchy are the Navy's Admirals: Aokiji, Kizaru, Akainu, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku commanding the entire army."

"Right. But we already knew that, didn't we?" asked Luffy.

"Of course. But that won't stop you, will it?"

"Of course not! We're definitely going to save Ace!"

"YEAH!" screamed the rest of them.

"Well, I hope you're all ready, because we're here!" announced Jinbei.

"How can you tell? There's Ice everywhere." stated Luffy.

"Aokiji, Luffy."

"Oh, right. We're here!" Everyone face-palmed. "Now we just need a way over the ice into the plaza! Any ideas?"

 **X**

"Huh? Do you guys see something?" asked one of the marine soldiers.

"Yeah, is that...a ship?"

"Why would a ship be falling from the OH MY GOD RUN!" They ran out of the way as the ship crashed into the ice. Everyone got back up again.

"Ace! I'm here to save you! We're all here to save you!"

"YEAHHH!"

"Garp, it's your damn family again!"

"Arghh, Luffy!"

"The one that everyone always talks about. Straw Hat."

"Straw...Hat…!"

"..."

"Luffy!~ I knew you were okay!~"

"Now we have all the warlords here, both new and old!"

"That's one hell of a team he brought with him."

"I didn't expect to be seeing him again so soon."

"So that's him...not only is he the grandson of Garp the Hero, but also the son of Dragon. I guess we'll have to eliminate him as well."

"Luffy, why don't you go introduce yourself to Whitebeard? I'm going to join the war."

"Alright." And with that, I used my chaos powers to turn into a purple and black stream of energy and fly over to the center of the battlefield.

"Hey, what is that?! It's heading right towards us!" Almost immediately, I crashed down onto the ice, leaving a large crater around me. I pulled down my hood, and my necklace, cloak, and cape were blowing in the wind. I activated my Sage's Madness and looked up at Akainu, who also looked back down at me. I closed my eyes, and walked forward, looking back to the warlords in front of me.

"Well, look who it is!" shouted Doflamingo. "I hope we can have some fun, Aaron!"

'Something's different about him.' Mihawk looked at my eyes closely. '! He unlocked it!' "Watch it! He's much stronger than he used to be!"

"What do you mean?" asked Doffy.

"My, my. So many targets in front of me. How could I possibly choose one to start with? Oh, wait. I know who to start with. How about you?!" Before anyone could blink, I appeared in front of Kuma, hardened my arm, and uppercutted him as hard as possible, sending him flying into the air.

"Ggh! What just happened?!" yelled some of the soldiers. I turned to them.

"What just happened is that one of your precious Warlords is no match for me anymore. Give me someone who's more of a challenge." I glanced back up at Akainu, who smirked as he looked down at me.

'I see...So he was able to awaken the power after all. And now he thinks that he's able to defeat me. Cute.'

Kuma fell back down onto the ground with blood dripping from his mouth and nose. I walked past him.

"Just lay there for a while. I have other business to attend to." I began to walk past the rest of the Warlords as well, before a large sword blocked my path. I looked over at Mihawk.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Of course. I know what I'm doing."

"Very well. You brought this upon yourself." I unsheathed my own sword and took a stance against him.

"A new sword, I see. Let's see how well you do with it."

"You'll see that I can get by just fine!" I swung at him, and he blocked it, but his own blade was forced back a little bit.

'His swings...they're much stronger and much more forceful than before. Does Sage's Madness truly increase the abilities of a Sage by this caliber?' His blade lit up a light green color, and he slashed my sword off of his, releasing his energy slash. I dodged by ducking, and the slash went and cut off another large section of the ice. We slashed and dodged continually, and eventually ended up at a standoff once again.

"I can already tell, Mihawk. I've won." My sword began to glow purple, while his glowed green again. We both slashed, and the energy waves collided with each other, but mine swallowed his up, and sped after the swordsman. His eyes widened, and he held his sword up for defense against the blast. He managed to deflect it, but his sword was knocked out of his hands, and spun in the air before landing down into the ice like a sword in stone. By the time the smoke cleared, I stood in front of him with the tip of my own sword pointed at his throat.

"Like I said, you lost." I lowered my blade and sheathed it, walking past him again, leaving him stunned. It seemed like everything had gone quiet. No one in the world thought that another swordsman would ever be able to best the legendary Hawk-Eye Mihawk.

"Here's a fun fact, Navy!" I yelled out. "The world doesn't revolve around you! It's possible for pirates and revolutionaries to cause some damage against you as well."

"Activate the walls before he gets in." commanded Sengoku. The barrier walls started going up and blocked the plaza out.

"Wait a minute...one of the walls isn't activating!"

"Oars is on top of it!" yelled one of the Whitebeard Pirates. Whitebeard then jumped up and smashed one of the sides of barriers in, making a passageway for the rest of our forces.

"Time to raise some hell." I commented. Luffy and I began running towards the execution platform, as they were about to execute Ace.

"STOP IT!" Luffy unconsciously released his Conqueror's Haki, knocking out a large number of marines and pirates alike.

"Nice job!" We continued running. Ivankov was following behind us.

"Straw Hat boy, how did you learn to use that power?!"

"Huh? What power?"

"Uh, nevermind!"

"He's not aware of it, Iva. Luffy doesn't really know what Haki is yet."

"I-I see."

"Two more guards, I want you to try again! Kill him!" Two more guards walked up to the execution platform and began to pick up the spears before they were knocked to the ground.

"What?! Who-?!" Crocodile appeared at the bottom of the giant structure.

"Crocodile!"

"Hmph." Sengoku looked back to us and saw us closing in.

"Damn! I need them to be taken care of!" Just then, a giant stream of water blasted over the wall. When it subsided, Luffy stood there holding part of a mast. I walked up next to him and crossed my arms.

"My, my. You finally made it."

"Quite an entrance, you two."

"You guys are pretty scary."

"Finally." I mumbled.

"Finally, what?" asked the Red Admiral.

"Finally you. I had to wait almost 20 years for the chance to fight you again, Sakazuki. I hope you didn't forget about our little rematch."

"Of course not. I've been looking forward to killing you for a long time. And it seems that you could finally fight me on a more even ground, but you're far from being able to kill me."

"We'll see about that."

"Will we? Then let's test your strength out. Show me how you handle this." He charged up his fist and blasted a wave of magma at me.

"How foolish. Armament Hardening. Chaos." I hardened my arm with haki, and then coated it with my chaos abilities. As the chaos came towards us, I simply swung my arm across the blast, dispersing it into the air. Most of the marines gasped.

"He blocked Admiral Akainu's attack?! Impossible! The Admirals are the strongest men in the world!"

"Piece of cake." I told him.

"That's not what I saw."

"Huh?"

"The way I see it is that it actually took a lot of effort to do that. Think about it. You had to use both haki, and the strongest ability of your devil fruit just to keep yourself from taking damage. Like I said, you're not ready to fight me yet."

"...Luffy. I'm sick of listening to them, how about you?"

"Give Ace back!"

"He agrees." Luffy launched the mast at the three, and Aokiji of course froze it and sent it back flying at Luffy.

"Gum Gum Stamp Gatling!" The pieces flew at the three admirals, and Luffy used the confusion and debris to slip away from them.

"He'll never learn." Kizaru teleported in front of Luffy.

"Too slow." He kicked him into a nearby building.

"Luffy!"

"I thought you wanted to focus on me! Meigo!"

"Damn! Chaotic Fist!" I charged haki and chaos around my arm once again and clashed with the Red Admiral. The ensuing shockwave blasted away most of the surrounding marines. Even the Admirals had to shield themselves. As Akainu thrusted another punch towards me, I quickly ducked and kicked him hard in his chin, sending him upward off of the ground.

"Hrggh, Bastard! DIE! Great Eruption!" He blasted more magma at me, but this time it was focused into a single point, so the impact was much greater.

"Chaotic Blast!" I shot a beam of black and purple lightning at Akainu's attack, but it became engulfed and the magma continued to fly at me. I shielded myself, and a great explosion blew through the area.

"Damn it…gah!" I coughed up blood. My armor had been destroyed, only leaving my regular white shirt and black cloak left. My body was bloody and burned.

"Haki...Healing-"

"NO YOU DON'T!" He flew at me and kept punching me in the face, but just with haki. After trying to fight him off for what felt like hours, I fell onto the ground, trying to stay conscious.

"I'm going to kill you slowly, to make sure that you never come back to fight me again. Hellhound!" He began to launch his attack at me, but stopped when he noticed something. I glanced up. Ace was free again, and fighting the marines alongside Luffy.

"Hehe...Haki Healing." I healed myself using the haki I had left. I jumped up and slammed my fist into Akainu's jaw, knocking him back into a wall.

"Luffy! Ace! Let's go! We're leaving!"

"Right!" they both shouted. We started running towards the ships.

'Damn. I hate to have to run again, but I'm still no match for Akainu, he was right.'

"You think I'm letting you get away?! Think again! Men, step aside!" Akainu started running after us.

"You think you can save Fire Fist Ace and just retreat back into safety? You Whitebeard Pirates are imbeciles."

"What?!"

"Stop! He's just trying to provoke you!"

"But, I suppose it's no surprise, your captain being who he is. After all, Whitebeard is nothing but a loser from a dead era!"

"A loser?! Take back what you just said!"

"Ace, no! Don't listen to him!" I yelled.

"He bad-mouthed the Old Man! Take it back!"

"Take it back? I have no intention of doing so. Why would I? Your father, Gold Roger, conquered the entire Grand Line. He gave his life to open the door on a new era, the Great Age of Pirates. A Navy man like me probably shouldn't say this, but that man truly deserved the title 'Pirate King'. What is Whitebeard, compared to that? Did he ever have the guts to fight Roger? All he's ever done is manage to stay hidden in a safe corner of the world and keep himself out of trouble, right? These days, some fools may claim that Whitebeard's name alone upholds peace on various islands. But as far as I'm concerned, he just intimidates the small fry and believes himself to be a hero for it! Ridiculous! Roger maintained his honor for as long as he lived, and even today, his old crewmates hail him as a king! In other words…Whitebeard is an eternal loser, who will never surpass Roger! That is all he is. Everything I've said is the truth." Ace powered up his fire abilities and began walking towards Akainu.

"Now that I think about it, he sure is a pitiful man. Making all of his underlings call him their 'Old Man' or 'Father' or whatever...and sailing the seas playing house."

"Stop it."

"He reigned the seas for decades, yet he never became a king or anything. He got himself stabbed because one of those 'foolish sons' of his believed every word I said, and now he'll die to protect that same fool. Truly an empty existence."

"Cut it out. The Old Man gave us a place where we belong! What do you know about his greatness?!"

"If man does not live righteously, he does not deserve to live at all. You rogue pirates don't deserve a place to belong!"

"Cut it out!"

"Whitebeard will die a loser! A fitting end for a little fish in a big pond!"

"Whitebeard is the great pirate who created this era! DON'T MAKE FUN OF THE MAN WHO SAVED MY LIFE!"

"Stop it, Ace!"

"THE NAME OF THIS ERA IS 'WHITEBEARD'!" Their powers clashed.

"Whitebeard, and you fools who call him your father, share the same fate as losers!" The magma exploded and knocked Ace down to the ground.

"Ace got burned!"

"You were overconfident because you ate a Logia, the strongest of all devil fruits, right? You are merely fire. I am magma, that which burns even flames! The gap in our powers is vast, boy!"

"Ace-ah!" Luffy fell to his knees.

"Luffy, you're at your limit!"

"His Vivre Card…"

"...The Pirate King, Gold Roger. Dragon the Revolutionary. These two men's sons being step-brothers is quite a frightening thought. Your fate has been decided! Regardless of who else gets away, I swear to never let you two leave alive! Now take a good look."

"Wait!" Akainu lunged towards Luffy. I was too far back.

'Damn it! I can't make it in time!' Everything moved in slow motion. When time seemed to return to normal, I looked over to see a dreadful sight. Akainu's fist was plunged through Ace's chest and stomach. When he pulled out, Ace fell onto Luffy's shoulders. The marines continued fighting, and I simply watched on in shock.

"Luffy...I...can't speak loud enough for the others to hear. Please...pass this on to them. Old Man...Everyone...and you, Luffy. Even though...I'm so worthless...Even though...I carry the blood of a demon...Thank you...for loving me!" He slowly let go of Luffy and fell to the ground. I glanced where his Vivre card was and watched it burn from existence.

" _Aaron."_

" _What is it?"_

" _Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. Those three… I love them with all of my heart, but eventually they'll grow up and head off someplace on their own. And even though I'm their grandfather and guardian… I get older and older with each passing day. And there will come a time when I can't watch out for them anymore. Those three will be a recipe for disaster one day, I can already picture it. I trust you the most to take care of them when they become that age. Will you protect them with your life?"_

" _...Who do you take me for? You don't even have to ask, of course I'll do it! I'll never let any of them die."_

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" I glanced over at Luffy. His mind had shattered…

…

I started to feel something. My power was flowing more viciously and brutally than before. I was becoming healed.

"...Jinbei. Get Luffy out of here."

"What?!"

"NOW!" He snatched the boy up and started running towards the warship. Akainu began going after them again.

"Straw Hat!"

"A-Akainu!" Whitebeard appeared behind Akainu and a battle between the two ensued. Before long, he had fallen through one of the tremors that the Old Man created.

"He's still alive...I can sense his haki…" I tracked his movements and saw where he was going. Fighting Ivankov, scarring Jinbei and Luffy, taking Crocodile down."

"I see...that's good that's he's still alive and kicking...because now…" My chaos powers began to swirl everywhere and were shattering Marineford apart. The force was unlike anything anyone had felt before. Mihawk and the other Warlords looked over at me, surprised.

"Demon...Mode…"

 **Akainu's POV**

What was that form? He had never used that kind of power before… His entire appearance was different. His skin had become a cloak of purple and black flowing chaos. His mouth was not visible, but you could still hear his breath and yelling as he transformed. His hair had become more spiked, but the biggest difference was his eyes. They were glowing red, and they weren't the shape of regular eyes either. There were no pupils, no whites anywhere. Just a red glow. He looked like a Feral Demon. His arms fell limply in front of him, and his eyes narrowed towards me.

 **End POV back to My POV**

'Is that what I think it is?' Hancock asked herself.

"So he's done it…" Mihawk told the rest of them. "Sage's Madness Phase 2: Demon Mode."

" **AKAINU! I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!** " I had lost all control over my abilities. Before anyone could sense it, I bolted across the battlefield, grabbed his head, and slammed it hard onto my knee. Then I grabbed his face again, lifted him off the ground, and smashed his whole body into the ground, burying his body from view.

" **CHAOTIC CRASHER!** " I screamed as his body was plunged deep into Marineford's plaza.

" **I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET, YOU BASTARD!** " I grabbed him again.

" **I should crush your skull right here and now."** His eyes snapped open, as he grabbed my hand and flung me into the ground. He picked me up and stared at me.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to live anymore Aaron. Any last words before I kill you?"

"... **Is this all you have?** "

"What?!" I clutched his neck, and took his hand off of me, once again lifting him into the air.

" **Tell me, Sakazuki...Do you know what it feels like to suffer?** " I kicked him hard in the stomach, and blood poured out of his mouth and onto the ground. I threw him into one of the walls of Marineford. By now, the Blackbeard Pirates had killed Whitebeard and taken his powers, and Sengoku was fighting them.

' **I'll leave them to him.** ' Akainu stood up again, out of breath.

" **...Why don't you transform?** "

"Do you really want to die that badly?! FINE! **TRANSFORMATION: HOUND OF HELL!** " And with that, his magma cerberus towered over all of the soldiers and faced me.

"A-Admiral Akainu's lost it! He's using his full power!" shouted some of the marines as they were running for their lives.

"Wh-What is that?!" yelled Blackbeard.

"So he's done it…" stated Sengoku, now watching the fight.

"Die." Akainu mumbled in his new form. He shot a beam of fire at me. I simply extended my hand in front of me, and activated my haki. After the smoke had cleared, I stood there and lowered my hand, not a scratch on me.

"Impossible!"

" **You're no match for me anymore, Saka. Chaotic Kick.** " I teleported to his side, and with my leg encased in both haki and chaos, shattered the side of his form, knocking him into the remnants of Marineford, and making the rest of the building topple down. When he came out, he had changed back to his human form, badly damaged.

"HOUND BLAZE!" He charged his fist up in magma, and flew at me. Once again, I blocked it with an open palm, and the shockwave destroyed more of the island behind me.

" **I told you that it was pointless, didn't I? Why do you keep fighting? Or maybe it's because you can't accept the fact that a mere pirate like me has become stronger than you.** " Akainu smiled.

" **What's so funny-GAH!** " I felt a sharp piercing pain through my chest, and when I looked down, I noticed a sword made of light pierced through my chest. I glanced behind me.

"Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven: Ama no Murakumo." My chaos cloak disappeared, and I had reverted back to my base form. Blood had started staining my shirt, and was now dripping down from my mouth.

"K-Kizaru…" I growled. He forcefully pulled the sword out of my chest, making blood fly out of my mouth.

"A-AARON!" screamed Hancock as I was falling to the ground. My vision started to blur, and I glanced up to see her run towards me. Akainu and Kizaru left to go fight other pirates. Navy soldiers started surrounding me to kill me for good, but collapsed just as quickly due to Boa's Conqueror's Haki. She bent down next to me.

"Haki Healing!" My wound partially closed, but I was definitely out for the rest of the fight this time. My vision returned to normal again, and I sat up with her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be okay, but I can't fight like this. I'm out for the rest of the fight. You should go with Luffy and Jinbei to make sure he's okay. Like I said, I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now go."

"O-Okay." She took off after Luffy and got aboard Law's submarine. I sighed, relieved. At least Luffy will live. But I worried about when he would wake up.

"I looked over to see how the Blackbeard Pirates were fairing. I was actually pretty close to them now, so I didn't have to use Observation Haki to sense them, I could see them clearly. A navy soldier walked up to Akainu. What was he doing?

'Wait a minute...is that Coby? He'll get himself killed!'

"That's enough! Let's end this now! Let's not fight anymore!" Tears were streaming down his face.

"We're wasting people's lives! Every single soldier has a family that's waiting for them to come home! We accomplished the purpose of this war already, but we're still chasing down the pirates who have lost the will to fight! We could stop, but we're coveting more! We're giving up on our soldiers that could survive if we treated them right away! On top of that, we keep multiplying the number of victims! Soldiers that go down after this...ARE NO MORE THAN FOOLS!" he cried out. I looked down sadly.

'Finally, a marine gets it. That the way the Navy is operating isn't right.'

"...Who are you, you fool? The navy has no use for a soldier that doesn't believe in justice!" Akainu charged up his magma fist again. My eyes widened and I gritted my teeth.

"How much lower can you get, Sakazuki! Are you truly going to publicly execute one of your own soldiers?!" I screamed out at him. But it was too late. His fist was already about to pierce Coby. I looked away, but then heard the sound of steel. I looked back to see his fist blocked by a saber. The man wielding it was:

"Sh-Shanks? Why is he here?" I asked. I noticed that he was wearing his own Master Assassin necklace around him. Coby collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

"You did well, young marine. You risked your life to create a brief moment of courage that has greatly changed the world, for better or for worse." He turned back to the admiral. "Wouldn't you say that's enough, Akainu?" The admiral lowered his fist, and Shanks walked over to pick up Luffy's hat. "I've come...to end this war."

"Zehahaha...So you've come…" The rest of the Red Hair Pirates walked off the ship and stood behind Shanks.

"If anyone still wants to fight...then come! We will be your opponents!" The marines backed down, as they didn't want to fight another Emperor.

"What do you say, Teach? No, Blackbeard?"

"I don't know...maybe I am ready to face you after all…"

"Are you?" Shanks' sword began to glow red, and red energy waves swirled around it. He quickly slashed it into the sky, releasing a powerful wave of red energy that split the clouds down the middle. Red lightning struck from them down to where Shanks stood, and for a second, his eyes flashed red in color.

"I see he hasn't lost his edge…" murmured Hawkeye. He began to walk away.

"Hey, Hawkeye, where are you going?"

"Our orders were to fight Whitebeard and his underlings. Fighting Red Hair was not part of the agreement."

"Zehaha…Perhaps we're not ready to fight you yet after all." I could see the sweat on his face. He was scared of him.

"I got what I wanted. Let's quit now. Let's go, guys." And with that, they left. Shanks sighed.

"Everyone. For now, please respect what I have to say. This war was broadcast all over the world. Let's not exploit Ace and Whitebeard's death more than we already have. I'd like you to leave their burial to us."

"...Alright. Then I leave it to you. Everyone! This war is over!" announced Sengoku. Everyone cheered, and Shanks walked over to me.

"They got you good, didn't they?"

"You should have seen me before, I probably wouldn't be alive right now if not for Hancock. Do you have a doctor with you?"

"Of course. If you sail with us, I can drop you at Amazon Lily, where Luffy is."

"That'd be great, thanks."

 **X**

Shanks and I stepped off the ship and saw Law and his crew, Hancock and Rayleigh nearby. I sighed.

"How's Luffy doing?"

"Not good. He's in the forest now with Jinbei. He's awake, but I fear that he'll never recover from the shock of losing his brother in front of his own eyes." responded Law.

"I see...I'd like to go talk to him. Are you coming?" I glanced back.

"No. It's not the right time for us yet. Luffy would say the same thing. He doesn't to see me just yet, I'm sure." I turned around and started walking towards the forest. Shanks walked over to Hancock who was glancing at my body. My shirt was beyond repair, so I just wore my cloak over my shoulders. My upper body was covered in bandages.

"What's next for us?" asked Hancock, sighing. The other two looked at her.

"I'm not sure. Right now, there's two things we have to think about. Not only the Order, but Blackbeard as well." responded Shanks.

"And after what we saw today, I'm worried about the true strength of the Order. Although Aaron was able to defeat both Kuma and Mihawk with relative ease, Doflamingo is still a major threat, and if the Sage's Madness still couldn't keep even one Admiral down…"

"...And I wonder if I have a solution to that already." Rayleigh inquired.

"Hmm?" Shanks looked at him.

"As they are now, Aaron, Luffy and the rest of their crew are no match for the New World, let alone the Templars. I'm thinking of training Luffy with haki for a while, and Aaron could train with Dragon. The others will find their own ways to do it if we can relay the message."

"That may work, but we don't know how to relay the message to the rest of them."

"I know how. Just leave it to me."

"Alright."

 **X**

"Yes, Ace is gone! But ask yourself what you still have! What DO you have left, Luffy?!"

"My-My crew!"

"That's right." I walked over to them.

"Aaron…"

"Luffy, we're not strong enough to take on the New World right now. We need to train."

"We don't have time! We need to find the rest of our friends and go after the Navy to make them pay for what they did to Ace and the Old Man!"

"...Are you that stupid?" I punched him through a tree.

"What was that for?!"

"YOU MORON!" He flinched.

"Do you think you have any chance against them as you are now?! Even after unlocking my own hidden abilities...I still lost to the admirals. I couldn't even keep one of them down, no matter how much I injured him! Luffy, you need to move on and focus on making yourself stronger. If you stay hooked on Ace's death, not only will you never recover from it, but you'll recklessly charge in hell-bent on pointless revenge!"

"Get over it…?" He punched me back, knocking me to the ground.

"You don't know how I feel! Ace was my brother! I can't just get over it like that! You act like you don't even care that he died!" That sent me over the edge. I hardened my fist with what little haki reserves I had and punched Luffy hard right on his scar. He coughed up blood and fell to his knees. By now, Hancock and Rayleigh were watching from a distance.

"A-Aaron, hold on!" yelled Jinbei.

"Don't care?! Luffy, if anything I was more enraged than anyone else on the entire battlefield! Unlike you, I didn't pass out, and my power and rage took over. If Kizaru hadn't stabbed me...I might have lost myself and destroyed the whole island and slaughtered everyone on it…" Luffy's eyes widened.

"I made a promise to both your father and grandfather that I'd watch over you brothers for as long as I live. How do you think I felt when Ace's death could have been prevented by us, that it was our fault he got killed!" Tears were streaming down his face.

"No, that's not quite true. The real one at fault...was Akainu." Luffy looked up.

"If you want to go and get revenge, that's fine! I'll be right there with you! But we should at least do so armed with the knowledge and abilities to protect ourselves! Your crew would feel the same way! Do you think that Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, and Brook would be angry at you for deciding to get stronger? Especially after what happened at Sabaody, they'd probably encourage it! So it's time to do that, Luffy. It's time that we get prepared for what lies ahead of us instead of just rushing in all the time."

"Y-Yeah. You're right!"

"Good." I began to walk away, but glanced back at him.

"Listen, kid." He looked back at me. "I've experienced fates far worse than what happened today throughout my life. My parents were murdered in front of me. My captain died early because of a disease. My family, my crew, tore itself in half due to philosophical difference of opinion. My friends have betrayed me to go work and fight for the other side, against me. But thankfully, there have been friends who have stuck behind me and supported me the whole way, and that's who got me to today: Hancock, Dragon, Shanks, Rayleigh, Jinbei, Mihawk, You, Nami, and the rest of our crew. And that's exactly who you need to help you out now." I kept walking.

"Hancock. Jinbei." I called out.

"Rayleigh, Luffy, Jinbei and I are going to go back to Marineford to ring the Ox bell. After that, I'm going to head to Zou. I'd like you two to accompany me."

"Of course." they both responded.

 **X**

"Luffy, are you ready?"

"Yeah." He went up and rang the Ox bell, then we both threw flowers into the craters. And then we left.

"You should see this." Mihawk handed a newspaper to Zoro, and he read it.

"...Then we have time. I want you to train me!"

"Aren't these two your friends?" Nami took the newspaper and looked at the front cover with the two of us on it.

"...Got it! I can't wait to see them again…"

"I hope they all saw it." I told Hancock while we were sailing for Zou.

"I'm sure they did, that story was printed everywhere, and they read the newspaper anyway."

"...I want you to tell me about your crew. What are they like?" she asked. Jinbei listened in.

"Well, besides Luffy and myself, there's Zoro. Let's start with him. He aspires to become the World's Greatest Swordsman and would gladly lay his life down for Luffy's sake. He also likes to drink...a lot. But he has no sense of direction. You'd probably like him. Nami is the navigator, and I suppose her personality is similar to yours only she doesn't have a devil fruit to use. Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook." I told her about the rest of them.

"We're landing." said Jinbei.

"Good. Let's go." We walked into the main base of the Brotherhood.

"Dragon." I called out to him. Sabo was talking to him. The two walked over.

"Sorry, we were talking. Sabo was just promoted to Master Assassin as well."

"Congratulations." we all told him.

"I've come to finish my training."

"Yes, I heard what happened at Marineford. I don't think the problem is that you're not strong enough. I think you just have to learn to control that power of yours, Demon Mode. That, and there's something else you would like. Follow me, you three." We followed him into a large, electronic training room. There were machines everywhere.

"This." He walked up to one. "Is a virtual fighting program designed for training through experience. All sorts of opponents from the Maines, Revolutionaries, Brotherhood, and Pirates alike are all programmed into here with their real-life abilities. Choose where you want to fight, who you want to fight, and you'll be programmed into the machine and will fight the opponent like it were real life. Think of it as a combat training animus."

"Perfect."

"You two are welcome to stay here too, if you'd like." He looked at the other two.

"I need to get back to Fishman island, actually. I can't stay for long. Sorry."

"And I need to go back to Amazon Lily and Solacia. I'll definitely visit, though."

"Suit yourselves. Good luck to you both."

"Alright then. Let's start this. The sooner I'm done, the sooner I can head back out to see everyone!"

 **End.**


	12. 3D2Y: The Man Behind It All

**This is where shit starts to get real. 3D2Y and Timeskip, woohoo!**

 **Songs**

 **Talking to Dragon: After Eating, Grand Line first part (One Piece OST)**

 **Ryokugyu landing: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)**

 **Ryokugyu's reveal: The Truth is Revealed (Yugioh Arc-V Sound Duel)**

 **Vs. Ryokugyu round 1: The Battle Begins! (Yugioh Arc-V Sound Duel), Luffy vs. Ratchet part 2 (One Piece OST)**

 **Demon Mode Transformation: I Will Beat You (One Piece OST)**

 **Demon Mode vs Ryokugyu: Giant Stronghold, Takeoff (One Piece OST), Ultimate Power (Epic Score), Caesar Clown (One Piece OST)**

 **Defeated: Soundscape to Ardor (Bleach OST)**

 **Dream: Nothing can be Explained [With Vocals] (Bleach OST)**

 **Vs. Marines and Ryokugyu round 2: Attack on Titan (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Ryokugyu leaves: Rittaikidou part 1 (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Arno's uniform: Unity (Assassin's Creed Unity Soundtrack)**

"Is everyone here?"

"Yes." they all responded.

"Good. Take a seat. Let's begin the meeting." They were all in a dark candlelit room within New Marineford.

"It's almost been two years, hasn't it? Straw Hat will appear again soon, and I'm willing to bet that after two years of training, all of them will be much stronger. I worry about two in particular. So, I would like to make preparations for this. Let's review on what's happened since Marineford. Sengoku and Garp retired, meaning that the Navy needed a new Fleet Admiral. Sakazuki and Kuzan were both recommended for the position, and decided to fight for who would get the position over on Punk Hazard. After 10 days, Sakazuki won, and Aokiji left, as he didn't want to work under him. Due to the promotion and resignation, poor Borsalino had no one else to talk to, as two admiral positions were left unfilled. Recently, the Navy announced throughout the world that those two positions were filled, Issho taking one, and myself taking the other. However, this is just a ruse to make people think that Sakazuki is the true leader of the Navy. Eventually, the time will come when we will swap positions. Also, after Marineford, because we had no use for Moriah anymore, Doflamingo took care of him. Oh, and Kuma was fully modified into a Pacifista, model PX-0. Am I missing anything?" He looked around and everyone was silent.

"Okay good. So, in preparation for the Straw Hats' return, I have individual assignments for some of you. The rest who don't can do whatever. Akainu."

"Yes."

"...I don't have anything for you after you took out Byrnndi World. Keep being the Fleet Admiral and doing your thing."

"Understood."

"Kizaru, I have nothing for you at the moment."

"Got it."

"Kuma, nothing."

"..."

"Doflamingo, how is the business coming along?"

"I have a colleague in Punk Hazard who's an experimenting scientist. Thanks to his work, we've been able to produce artificial Zoan devil fruits. We've been selling them on the black market to Kaidou, one of the four emperors. I'm hoping that if we continue on good terms, we might be able to invite him into the Order."

"Great. Keep things under control there, then."

"Fujitora, nothing."

"Hawkeye."

"Mm?"

"I have a special assignment for you. I'm thinking of bringing in two more recruits for the Order. Crocodile and Arlong of the Fishman. We've looked at them before, but I think I'd really like them to join at this point. Crocodile already has a devil fruit, and I have one in mind to give to Arlong, should they accept. Regardless, you are still the only Warlord here without a devil fruit. It's not that I don't trust in your abilities, but I think it would be good if you did have one."

"Understood. Did you have one in mind, sir?"

"I do. I'd like you to travel to Jaya, and venture on the upward geiser into the White White Sea. There, you'll find a man named Eneru. He was only ever beaten once, by Straw Hat. But I know that you'll win because you have better control over your haki. Eneru possesses the Rumble Rumble fruit, the logia type for lightning and electricity. It is one of the few devil fruits with a reputation for being invincible. I'd like you to kill Eneru and when the Devil Fruit respawns, take it and eat it."

"Right. I'll go now." he said, as he stood up.

"Hold on, one more thing."

"Sir?"

"After you acquire the fruit, I'd like you to find both Crocodile and Arlong and invite them into the Order. I've made the preparations for the visit to Impel Down for the latter one."

"Okay."

"As for me…" he stood up. "I'm going to go visit Zou. I'd like to fight Aaron, since he's so bent on stopping us, and show him just who he's truly up against by killing him."

"..." Kuma and Mihawk were silent.

"Meeting adjourned. May the Father of Understanding guide us."

"May the Father of Understanding guide us." they recited.

 **X**

I sighed as I stepped out of the Combat Animus.

"That was one hell of a fight." I said, walking up to Dragon.

"Ah, and how is the training coming along?"

"Well, it's almost time to return to Sabaody, right? Just a few months left. I finished my Animus training reliving the Legendary Assassins' lives a while ago, so I've been working on my haki and devil fruit powers in the Combat Animus. I've been doing that for about 2 months now, and I just came back from a fight."

"Who was it?"

"Kizaru. I won."

"Did he transform?"

"Yes. I still beat him."

"Excellent. You've come a long way, haven't you?"

"I'd like to think so."

"Well, keep up the training. I have somewhere to be later today, so I'm going to take off."

"See you later."

 **X**

"Sir, we've confirmed that both Dragon and Sabo of the Brotherhood have left the island!"

"What a wild coincidence. This just gets easier and easier, doesn't it? How long until we land?"

"About 10 minutes, sir."

"Excellent. Wait until I give the signal. We want Dragon far enough away so that he won't see the attack and doesn't have the chance to turn around and prevent it."

"But sir, didn't you say you were strong enough to defeat him?"

"I did say that, and trust me, I am, but it wouldn't be easy to do. It would take time, and this is just a short visit, remember? We're here to kill one man and be done with it."

"Of course."

"Speaking of which, do we have the TV's and cameras set up?"

"Yes, sir. May I ask why you requested those be here for the battle?"

"Two reasons. First, not everyone believes the newspaper. If I kill Aaron and then print it in the paper, do you think that the Straw Hat Pirates are going to believe it?"

"...Probably not, sir. They'll think that the story is false information."

"Exactly. This way we can prove that it's truly happening. And reason number two: I'm afraid I have a bad habit of not keeping quiet about my fights. No matter who it may be, I always like to showcase a public execution. Especially for this one." The marine soldier gulped loudly and sweat dropped.

"Don't worry about it. I'm doing all the fighting here, I know that you guys wouldn't win against someone as powerful as Aaron. You should appreciate the opportunity. You get a front row seat to see the most powerful man in the world fight one of the most powerful men in history."

"Yes, sir. I look forward to seeing it."

"We've landed!" announced the ship's helmsman.

"Excellent. All of you follow me. And make sure you have both a sword and a rifle equipped on each and every one of you."

"Yes, Sir!"

"Aaron! We've got trouble!" yelled one of the assassins.

"What is it?"

"Marines are here!"

"Stay here, I'll go take care of it." I said. I put on my black armor and equipped my sword, dagger, throwing knives, etc. and walked out to meet them. After my armor at Marineford was melted by Akainu's magma, I got another, sturdier pair to wear from the outfitter. As I walked out to see the marines there, I noticed that there was only one single battleship, though it was a large one. Many elite soldiers were standing armed to the teeth behind one significantly larger man. Not fat larger either. This guy was husky, practically all muscle. He wore a forest green cloak over his whole body that covered his face, so I couldn't see who he was.

"Who are you?" I asked. All he did in response was reach into his cloak and pull out a silver chained Templar Cross.

"Well then...I guess I know who you are now." He laughed.

"But do you? Do you even know my name?"

"You must be an admiral. You're certainly not one of the Warlords."

"You're pretty smart, aren't you? Smarter than the rest of your crew, anyways." I frowned.

"Start recording." The cameras started broadcasting as an emergency broadcast on every TV in the world.

"Hey, Zoro! Come see this!" yelled Perona.

"What is it? I'm busy." He walked up to the TV.

"Wh-What? I-Is that Aaron?"

"Hey, Nami...come see this." Haredas called.

"What? I don't have time to watch...maybe I do. What's going on there?"

"Sanji-boy! Come quick!" yelled Ivankov.

"What is it now? Oh, this should be good."

"Robin, your friend is on the news."

"Which one? Oh, wow. He's changed over the past two years."

"I suppose I made good progress today. Time to relax with some TV. Huh? Why's Aaron on the news? ...SUPER!"

"Good concert. I'm exhausted. I think I'll watch some TV. Huh? Is that Aaron? YOHOHOHOHO!"

"You're recording this?" I asked.

"Why not? I like to show the world how powerless the men I kill are to me."

"I don't know who you've fought before, but you sure as hell haven't fought anyone of my caliber yet." The Straw Hats smiled.

"But before that. Who are you really?"

"Me? I'm the Grandmaster of the Templar Order." My eyes widened in shock.

"But Akainu-!"

"He's my underling. I have control over each and every person in the Order, and the marines as well." He threw his cloak off of him. He was about my age, but was taller than me, a little bigger than some of the other admirals, which was saying something because they're practically seven feet tall. He wore a neon green suit and same color pants, with a black dress shirt and gold tie. He had slick black hair, and had a white admiral's cloak draped over his back. The cuffs of the sleeves were green. Around his neck was a gold Templar Cross with red diamonds decorating it.

"I am Admiral Ryokugyu, one of the newly appointed ones."

"...I've heard about you. You and Fujitora were recently appointed the position, and after seeing your display of powers, the marines started claiming that you were the strongest man in the world, on par with Dragon and the Emperors. So you're the Grandmaster? You've been in hiding for a long time until becoming an Admiral now."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy." My smile faded.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you haven't realized it yet? Almost every major event that you Straw Hats have been involved in was my doing." My eyes widened.

'What does he mean?' asked the rest of the crew.

"Who do you think convinced Mihawk to keep pursuing the Krieg pirates to the Baratie, knowing that the Straw Hats were currently there? Who do you think told Arlong about Cocoyashi village and of the little girl with a genius for cartography that lives there?" Zoro's eyes widened, and Nami looked like she was going to explode from anger and sadness.

"Who do you think gave Wapol the Munch-Munch fruit and appointed him King of Drum Island? Who do you think came up with Crocodile's plan in Alabasta and then put him in charge of it?" Vivi and the others were watching from Alabasta and couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Who do you think had Aokiji go out to pay you a visit? Who do you think ordered Nico Robin's capture and placed it in the hands of CP9?" Robin's and Franky's eyes widened.

"Who do you think gave Moriah the idea of stealing people's shadows after his entire crew was slaughtered by Kaidou? Who do you think gave him Oz's corpse to use as a zombie soldier?" Brook looked at the TV, then down.

"At Sabaody, I dispatched Kizaru after you, but gave Kuma secret orders to help save you by sending you away. I wouldn't have been satisfied unless I killed both you and Luffy with my own hands. The Baratie, Arlong Park, Drum Island, Alabasta, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Sabaody Archipelago. I orchestrated all of those events."

"What about…?" My eyes were dark.

"Oh, yes, how could I forget? Do you really think that Blackbeard was strong enough to take out Ace on his own? Who do you think really captured him and planned his execution at Marineford." There was a moment of absolute silence.

"Armament: Hardening." I teleported to Ryokugyu and threw all of my force into my punch, aimed at him. He caught it with his fist. Behind him, a massive shockwave blew through the ocean that actually ended up splitting it in half.

"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you for what you've done!"

"My, my. You've got such a short temper. Did you even notice that I caught your punch with no difficulty whatsoever?"

"That was just a warmup." I jumped back and faced him again. "I'll have you know that I've been doing virtual combat training over these past two years. Just before you arrived, I defeated Kizaru." The Straw Hats' eyes widened.

"Yes, I'm aware of that technology. Kuma used to use it, and told me about it when he joined us. How nice for you. You may be able to defeat Borsalino, but…" Before I could move, he appeared before me and kneed me in the face, sending me flying back into a cliff with a massive explosion.

"I don't think that you'll be able to even scratch me." he commented. "You're not quite at my level yet." I stood up.

"Is that what you call an attack? Let me show you how it's really done." I charged up chaos on my hand.

"! Is that it? His other devil fruit ability?" asked Nami.

"Chaotic Crasher!" I grabbed his face and smashed him into the ground, the burst of chaos energy exploding into the crater, destroying part of the island. The rest of the marines ran back to safety. I appeared out of the smoke.

"Fool. He's not as strong as he claims if he wasn't able to take that head on."

"That was very weak." My eyes widened. I whipped around to see him standing behind me, but before I could attack, he punched me hard across the island and into the sea.

"NO! HE'LL DROWN!" screamed Nami. I burst out of the water and flew at him, landing a punch in his face and knocking him back a few feet. Nami was relieved. I chuckled.

"My devil fruit is very unique, it is one of only two that will allow the user to retain their ability to swim. This one, the Chaos Chaos Fruit, and the Wave Wave Fruit, who doesn't have a user currently. The same can't be said for you. It doesn't matter how strong you are, if I knock you into the ocean, you'll drown."

"I don't think so." he smirked.

"Why not?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Watch." He walked over to the cliff and jumped into the water.

"A-Admiral! Are you insane?!" yelled some of the soldiers. But just as quickly as he jumped in, he jumped out as well.

"How did you do that?" I asked him. He pointed to the cross.

"Every Templar Cross has the ability to let us swim again if we're a devil fruit user. By invoking its power, we are able to swim. So I'm afraid that the only way to defeat me is to do it up front." I smirked.

"Fine. Then I suppose I should come at you with everything I have!"

"Yes, it would be wise."

"Don't say I didn't warn you! DEMON MODE!"

"There it is." he smiled.

"Wh-What is that?! That form?!" screamed Nami.

"So this is how strong he's become? Heh." remarked Zoro.

" **I hope you're ready to die, Ryokugyu.** "

"Heheheh HAHAHAHAHAHA! So this is your true power! Just like Akainu said! I heard you completely overpowered him in this form."

" **That's** **soon** **as** **I activate** **this** **power, any** **opponent** **who** **was** **previously** **stronger** **than** **me** **no** **longer** **stands** **a chance, not** **even** **an** **admiral.** "

"We'll see about that. Allow me to be the first man to prove you wrong." We rushed at each other and grappled, creating a massive explosion of haki. After noticing that if we continued, Zou would be destroyed, we switched over to another small group of islands nearby. The marines got back on the ship and sailed over to watch, the cameras still filming.

" **I will...Destroy you!** "

"I'd like to see you try, fool!" He threw one of my punches aside, then punched me hard in the stomach with haki, knocking me back.

"You fool! Do you even get it?! I haven't even used my devil fruits yet, and I'm more than a match!" He yelled, flying straight towards me.

'Devil fruits?! That was plural! Does he possess two, like Dragon?!' I recovered from the hit by sliding on the sand, and then flew at him again. We kept throwing punches at each other, connecting, and some knocking us back, but we lunged right back in again. One of the surrounding islands blew up from the mass of haki and sunk to the bottom of the sea.

"This battle is off the charts…" murmured Sanji.

"I can't believe that Aaron has become this powerful in just two years…" Nami muttered.

"It makes the rest of us look like nothing…" Zoro cursed.

" **Why don't you show me your devil fruits then! Both of them!** " We were still going strong at each other with our barrage of haki powered punches.

"Oops, I guess I let that little fact slip, didn't I? It's true, I possess two fruits, both Logia types. Let's start with the first one! CRUSH CRUSH FRUIT!" His arm didn't harden with haki this time, but instead became light brown and green in color. He extended a single, powerful punch at me. It had enough force to blow me back instantly, and I shattered the trees that I flew through.

"My first devil fruit, the Crush Crush Fruit, is a logia type for the earth and the land. I can use it to manipulate any sort of rock or boulder, sand, gravel, asphalt, anything that has to do with the ground. The sheer force of its power is enough to knock any other logia user back much the same as you just went. With this power, I don't need haki to fight another logia user such as yourself!"

" **Hrghh...Is this really my limit? Is he this much stronger than the rest of the admirals? Two years ago, this form had enough power to kill Akainu easily, but now, even after training it and increasing its power for this long, he just brushes it aside like it's nothing?! I WON'T STAND FOR THAT! I DID BECOME STRONGER! I'LL PROVE IT!** " I flew at him again, and this time charged all of my chaos power into my fist, as well as all of my haki.

'I know that after this, I'll barely have any strength left, but there's no way that he can get out of this unscathed. He'll be in as bad a shape as I am, probably even worse!'

" **CHAOTIC OBLIVION!** "

"GAEA'S WRATH!" His fist glowed green, and he hardened his arm with both haki and his powers. He lunged at me with his full power, or what seemed like it. The ensuing explosion caused the rest of the islands to collapse into the sea out of sheer pressure from the level of our haki. Even some bigger, full sized uninhabited islands were destroyed and disintegrated in the process. I fell back onto Zou, as the explosion's recoil sent me into the sky. I gasped for air, as I lay on the grass. My Demon Mode had left me, and I was laying there almost motionless.

"At least he managed to take him out before losing his strength." Franky said. Out of the smoke, the same man I thought I had taken out had jumped back up onto the island, his cloak blowing around behind him. He brushed his shoulder off.

"Well, that was rather impressive, but I'm afraid you still didn't hurt me. By using my second devil fruit, I was able to avoid damage." I looked at him, angry.

"What is your second devil fruit?" He chuckled, then sighed.

"Some devil fruits in this world have counterparts to them. For example, Marshall D. Teach possesses the Dark Dark Fruit, and Kizaru possesses the Glint Glint Fruit, light and darkness. Ace had the Flare Flare Fruit, whereas the Water Water Fruit also exists in this world, fire and water. As for ours…" He looked down at me maliciously. My expression changed. Was this what it's like to feel powerless?

"The Chaos Chaos Fruit is an extremely powerful fruit, don't get me wrong. I'm afraid that I can't use all 5 base elements like you can. However…" His hand began to glow, and it gave off a golden aura.

"I ate the counterpart to your devil fruit, the Order Order Fruit. Because from Chaos, Order is born, and it is able to quell and abolish the Chaos. The Order Order Fruit is the most powerful devil fruit in the world, and in history. Truly deserving of a Grandmaster, don't you think? Do you know what this fruit is? It's the strongest Piece of Eden. Sorry to say, but... **I'm Invincible.** " He looked down at me, and my eyes widened in fear. He walked over to me and grabbed me by the neck, picking me up with one arm.

"It's been fun, kid, but I'm afraid I have to kill you now." He slammed me into a large wooden crate, breaking it.

"Aaron! No!" Nami yelled out.

Zoro stood up. "That fool! He's going to die for real if he doesn't do something!"

Ryokugyu charged up a gold fist and prepared to use it against me. All I could do is look on in horror.

'Does my dream mean nothing to the world?! Are the Templars not meant to be stopped?! DAMN IT! I CAN'T DIE HERE!' He pulled my hood down to show my face to the world.

"Apollo's Judgement: Celestial Punch of Destruction." Before any more time could go on, his fist rammed clean through my chest, going out the other side. Blood poured from my mouth as all traces of life faded from my eyes. He still held me there, for the whole world to see. The Devil's Child...had died. Tears streamed from Nami's face as she held her hand over her mouth. Zoro's facial expression had become bewildered as he was now standing up, stepping back. The rest of the Straw Hats stared on in horror, as they couldn't believe what had just happened. Hancock screamed. Shanks stumbled back. Rayleigh cursed. Jinbei yelled. As the remaining life force drained out of me, I muttered a single last word that was just loud enough to be heard by the world.

"Lu...ffy…" Everything went black.

 **X**

"..."

"You hopeless fool." My eyes snapped open. I was surrounded by blackness. It was clear that I was dreaming.

"Arlong…"

"Yeah. You've gotten pretty powerful, but you're still holding back against him."

"Holding back? No I'm not. I put everything I had into that last punch."

"Perhaps, but you seem to have forgotten a little fact about your powers that I still remember."

"What?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you? It's called the Chaos Chaos Fruit for a reason, dumbass. Your true dormant powers are revealed when you wreak havoc."

"Last time I did that, I went berserk."

"True, but now you have control over that transformation, so it'll be different. Think about all the times that you fought without reserve, either from determination or from anger. When you protected the Boa sisters, you awakened your devil fruit powers for the first time, in the fire state. When you fought against Kuma, you brought your dormant Sage's Madness to the surface. When you appeared at Marineford, you fought with no reserve and were able to defeat two Warlords almost effortlessly. When Ace died, you awakened Demon Mode for the first time, and had enough power to completely devastate Akainu. If you start to fight like that now, who knows what heights you'll reach." He smirked. "I'm sure Luffy's said something similar to you once or twice, right?" My eyes widened.

" _What are you thinking about?"_

" _I'm trying to plan out how we would be able to rescue Ace in the most efficient way."_

" _With a chess board?"_

" _Chess is the same as a battlefield. Soldiers are fighting for you, and when the King is captured, you lose."_ _I retracted one of my pieces._

" _...You think about things too much."_

" _And you think about things too little. You can't rush forward all the time, Luffy."_

" _How many times have I achieved our goal by rushing forward?" I sighed._

" _Every time."_

" _Right. I think about the situation too, you know. I'm at my best when I just think of a goal and decide to go and achieve it. Sometimes, you should do that too. Who knows how far you might go. And unlike me, you're not hard headed and stupid." He walked away, leaving me sitting there in awe._

My eyes narrowed.

"You're right."

"Of course I am."

"Heh. Shut up."

 **X**

"So much for the big bad Assassin, huh?" I grabbed his arm and put pressure on it.

"Ow! What in the...hell? You're...still alive?!" All of the viewers watching the TV looked back to see me still alive and kicking.

"Haki Healing." My wound closed up, and although it left a scar that looked kind of like Luffy's, my body was back in one piece again.

"Dragon Claw Fist...Dragon's Talons!" I formed a symbol with my hand and hardened it with haki, then piercing it deep into Ryokugyu's chest. Blood trickled out of the injury, staining his suit. I kicked him back, which set me free. I jumped back and stood up opposite of him.

"Looks like your prediction was false. I did manage to injure you after all. I guess Luffy and Arlong were right. If I focus more on the fight, and stop thinking so much, I can accomplish more with my powers." He growled and looked up to me, clutching his chest and kneeling down on one knee. He stood back up after using haki healing.

"Perhaps you have managed to injure me, but I'm afraid that you still won't be strong enough to beat me. Soldiers, kill him!"

"Yes, sir! RAHHH!" They all charged at me, swords and rifles drawn.

"Here we go. Wind." I propelled myself into the mass of marine soldiers, and the shockwave of my impact sent some of them flying out of the pack. I dodged both their blades and their bullets, and struck back with my hidden blades, continuously killing them. One by one, they fell.

'Faster.' I dodged one of the slashes and unleashed a blast of Conqueror's Haki, knocking out most of them.

'Go faster.' I slid back on my feet and looked at the rest of them coming towards me.

"Fishman Karate: Shark Brick Fist: Samegawara Seiken!" I shot a powerful blast of water vapor towards them and infused it with my own haki, increasing the blast radius.

'I need to go faster!'

I relied entirely on my instincts. I quickly unsheathed my sword and began spinning it around across my arms and slashing around at the marines (like when Madara fought the Ninja Alliance). Two of them came at me and I jumped kicking them with both of my feet. I used wind to propel me up into the sky while my hidden blades were extended and crossing.

"Eruption." All of a sudden, the ground exploded with the fire powers trap I had set there, making a vortex of flame behind me, and as I activated my Sage's Madness, I looked truly demonic to the marines.

'That's it! That has to be the picture on his updated wanted poster after this!' One of the cameramen snapped a bunch of photos of that pose. I glanced down at Ryokugyu, who had his arms crossed and was grinning up at me.

"... **CHAOTIC OBLIVION FIST!** " I screamed as my fist lit up with powerful chaos and haki energy. I activated Demon Mode as well, which multiplied my strength.

" **HYPERION'S JUDGEMENT: ASTRAL STRIKE OF A THOUSAND GODS!** " The clash seemed to move in slow motion. We quickly put a strong haki shield around Zou so that the island wouldn't collapse. As our fists collided with all of our reserves of strength, the entire sea was blasted apart, revealing the ocean floor for a few short moments. Islands were utterly annihilated, and the waves of haki were said to be felt all over the world.

"Grghh...this pressure! I can feel their power from all the way over here!" yelled Zoro as he and Perona were hit by a forceful blast of wind through the castle.

"Ahhh! What's going on?! Is that their haki all the way up here?!" screamed Nami as she was hanging onto the couch so she wouldn't blow away. After the blast subsided, we both stood, burnt and damaged from the power of our attacks. Our eyes were dark. We stood still for a few moments, but then I swayed and fell forward onto the ground. Ryokugyu breathed heavily and walked over to me, holding one of his arms.

"...You amuse me. I actually think...that I'm going to let you live."

"...Why? If you wanted to, you could just end this now and kill me."

"True, but your power is something else. You're the first person in history who's been able to injure me at all. I'd like to see how strong you can become, and then only after I fight you at your peak, if you lose, I will kill you. Keep getting stronger, Aaron. This was not bad for a first encounter." He turned around and started walking away.

"Men, set sail. We're leaving."

"Y-Yes, Sir!" I watched their ship become smaller and smaller on the horizon until it disappeared all together. I looked down and sighed.

"Damn…" Dragon and Sabo walked up to me.

"Are you okay?!"

"You're back."

"We felt your haki! Everyone did!" They helped me inside and brought me to the infirmary. I stared blankly at the ceiling.

"What is it?" asked Dragon.

"I felt like I was finally getting somewhere, and then out of nowhere Ryokugyu shows up and defeats me at my full power like it was a warm-up to him. I'm angry. I'm angry that despite all of this training and preparation I'm doing, the Templars are still one step ahead." Dragon sighed.

"I know that you'll still win, especially after today."

"What makes you say that?"

"Ryokugyu's powers are astounding, there's no doubt about it. But because of this, he's probably overconfident that himself and all of the Templars have all the power that they need. Which means that while you keep getting stronger, they'll stay where they are, and eventually seem weaker and weaker to you."

"I see. I suppose that's a good way of looking at it."

"...Can you stand?"

"Yes."

"Can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Good. I want to show you something. Follow me." Dragon lead me past the ceremonial hall where the initiations take place, and into his own room, which was very large. He pointed to the back wall, where a very large space with nothing in front of it stood.

"That looks like a secret passage."

"That's because it is." Dragon walked over to the closet and opened it. He moved his clothes out of the way and pushed a button at the back of the wardrobe. I heard something click and he went over to the top drawer of his desk, which looked to be what the button unlocked. He opened it up and grabbed a small box. He opened it, revealing a key. He walked over to the wall and said his name.

"Monkey D. Dragon." The wall panel slid open, revealing an iron door with a lock on it. Dragon fit the key into the lock, and turned it. The door unlocked, and opened with a loud creak, revealing a torch-lit staircase. We began to walk down the stairs until another door was in front of us. He turned the knob, and we walked inside, leaving us in a large room that looked to be a dead end. The lights turned on, and what lay before me took my breath away.

"Is that...Are those…?"

"Yes, they are." What stood at the top of a platform was Arno Dorian's gear. His famous robes, and weapon.

"The Sword of Eden?"

"Yes, Arno used it after defeating Germain. Although the power is still gone, the sword is still a Piece of Eden and one of the sharpest blades in the world."

"Why is this here?"

"The New World Brotherhood swore to keep these clothes in good condition and to take care of them for when the next worthy Assassin arrived. Arno's are kept here. Altair's, Ezio's, Connor's, Edward's, and Jacob's are kept on other various islands in the New World. I'd like you to focus your last few months on finding them, and wear them with pride when you meet your friends again. Why don't you try those on?" he asked, motioning to Arno's clothes. I went and took them off of their stand, and tried them on.

"How do I look?"

"Just like Arno."

"So you said that the others are hidden on islands as well, right?"

"Yes. I have the list of names here." He handed me a piece of paper with the names of some islands written on them.

"I have to find the other five before I go back to Sabaody, huh?"

"Consider it my challenge to you." I grinned.

"Then I accept it. And by the time I meet Luffy again, I'll seem like a different man."

 **End.**

 **The reason why I didn't include Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper for watching the TV broadcast of the fight is because where they were sent, there wouldn't really be any TVs. They were more like isolated jungle/tropical islands, so...yeah. I hope you liked it. I was waiting for this chapter for a long time, and now it's finally done! This was basically the plot twist chapter.**


	13. Return to Sabaody and Fishman Island

**Songs**

 **Locating Target: Welcome to Boston (AC3 Soundtrack)**

 **Chasing Target: Trouble in Town (AC3 Soundtrack)**

 **Post Assassination and meeting Straw Hats: Main Theme Variation (AC3 Soundtrack)**

 **Order Order Fruit Conversation: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)**

 **Fisher Tiger's Grave: Here to Stay (Bleach OST)**

 **Luffy's haki and battle beginning: The Very Very Very Strongest (One Piece OST)**

 **Vs. Fishmen: Karakuri Defense System, Activate! (One Piece OST)**

 **Why I Joined the Crew: After Eating, Grand Line! part 1 (One Piece OST)**

 **Remembering: At Our Parting (Sword Art Online OST)**

 **Singing: Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra feat. Count Basie Band)**

"Do you see him?" I activated Eagle Sense. Since traveling around to find the legendary armors, which by the way I found all of them, I learned how to control Eagle Vision, and mastered it, making it evolve into Eagle Sense, like Ezio and Shay possessed.

"Yeah. He's a lieutenant from the Navy, right?"

"Yes. He's one of Admiral Fujitora's close associates, and knows all about the Templars, as he oversees business deals for them as their representative."

"So he's my target? There's a swarm of soldiers surrounding him."

"Yes, they're there to hunt down the other pirates that arrived. After Marineford, the two year gap where you guys were out training was relatively quiet around Sabaody, and now that you're returning, a lot of other Supernovas and pirates alike are back there to get ready to leave for the New World."

"Got it. Thanks, Dragon. I'll be in touch."

"Of course. Good luck." I hung up my mini snail phone. I did a Leap of Faith off the top of the building I was on down below into a pile of grass. I got out and started walking towards my target. Some of the marines noticed me, and walked up, preparing their rifles.

"What do you want? Go away! We're busy!"

"Oh, but I only need a moment of your time."

"Well make it quick! What is it?!"

"I need to kill your Lieutenant." My target turned around and eyed me suspiciously. The soldiers started sweating and pointed their guns at me.

"Say that again-AAHH!" I extended my hidden blades and sliced the soldier's throat straight across, making him fall over instantly while I whirled around to the other one and snapped his neck. I turned to the Lieutenant and smiled maliciously. He started to run.

"K-Kill him!" He yelled, scared out of his mind. I started taking off after him, a horde of marines following me.

"Stop, damn you!" They yelled as I was freerunning across the buildings.

"I suppose we should head back to the Sunny now that we have all of our shopping done, right guys?" Nami asked Usopp and Chopper.

"Yeah, let's go then!" they cheered.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Usopp started.

"What? Forget something?" asked Nami.

"No, nothing like that...do you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" she asked.

"I do. It sounds like a lot of people are coming this way." Chopper responded. All of a sudden, they saw someone in a blue hooded cloak sprint past them. I glanced at Nami for only an instant, long enough to watch her realize that it was me, and then I looked back in front of me, chasing down the target. The marines kept following me. Nami shivered.

"What was that? Nami? Are you okay?" asked Usopp. She looked at him, about to burst into tears.

"Do you know who that was?!"

"Should I?"

"It was Aaron, you idiot! Come on, we're following them!" She started running after us.

"Wait, that's a bad idea!" yelled Usopp. He and Chopper started following Nami.

"Damn it!" yelled the Lieutenant. He turned to me, sword drawn. "You stupid Assassin! Do you really think you can beat me, a Templar?!"

"From the way that you just ran for your life, we both know the answer to that question." He growled, and lunged at me. I simply hardened my arm, grabbed his sword, and smashed it to pieces, only by using a little more pressure. I grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground.

"So long." I smiled. I quickly extended my hidden blade into his throat, instantly killing him. I grabbed his Templar necklace from around his neck, and stood up again.

"I guess he won't be needing this anymore. Hm?"

"That man! He killed the Lieutenant! Get him!" Before they could make a move, I knocked all of them unconscious with a wave of Conqueror's haki. I noticed something over on the wall. I walked over to it. It was an updated wanted poster for myself. My new picture was of me in that battle after I used Eruption. My eyes were glowing red in the poster. I looked at it nonchalantly. Then I noticed the bounty had gone up.

"900 million berries. Huh." I stuffed the poster into the pocket of my cloak and began walking away, when someone started shouting and calling my name.

"Aaron?! Aaron!"

'That voice…' I looked up to see Nami running towards me. Her hair was much longer, she wore only a green and white bikini top, low-rise jeans, and high heels. And of course, her boobs were much bigger than before. That was the biggest thing that anyone ever noticed about that girl.

"Nami?" Before I could make a move, she tackled me in such a big hug that I almost fell backwards.

"H-Hey! Long time no see!" She didn't respond and I just heard her sobbing.

"A-Are you really Aaron?"

"Of course I am, who else would I be?"

"Idiot! I saw you fight that Admiral a few months ago on the news! You died!" She was crying now. I looked down, my eyes dark, and put my arm around her.

"Yeah, that...sorry about that. But I'm here now, Nami. And nothing is going to change that."

"Y-Yeah…" she said happily. Usopp and Chopper ran up to me.

"Aaron!" they both screamed.

"Hey guys. Nice to see you again. I thought you'd be over at the Sunny."

"We were just shopping. We were actually going to head back over now, if you want to come with us." Nami said as she pulled away from me.

"Sure. So what did you buy?"

"Clothes, clothes, and more clothes. What else? Who do you think did all the shopping?" Usopp asked. I looked at Nami.

"For someone who loves money more than anything, you sure love to spend it all." She blushed a little bit. I sighed.

"It's okay. We're making money now anyway."

"We are?!" asked the three, Nami's beri signs in her eyes.

"Well, sure. I get paid for being a Master Assassin, you know? Full time wage, too. Plus bonuses for being Dragon's second in command and for having connections to all of the other Masters."

"How much?!" asked Nami.

"500 berries an hour. And I'm on duty 24/7 since I may have to do a mission at any time of the night, that's 12,000 berries a day. That times 7 days a week is 84,000 berries a week." Nami's mouth watered as her eyes went beri roulette mode.

"So that's...336,000 berries a month, and...4,032,000 berries a year." Nami collapsed from ecstasy.

"You already had her convinced!" yelled Usopp and Chopper at the same time. We arrived at the Sunny finally, and jumped on board.

"Aaron!" Robin, Franky, and Brook said happily. I grunted at them in response.

"Now we just have to wait for…"

"GUYS!"

"Nevermind." I said. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro dropped down onto the ship.

"We should probably go." I said.

"So soon?" asked Luffy.

"The marines will be after us for two reasons. First, these." I took out Luffy's and my own wanted posters. Everyone freaked out.

"400 and...900 million?! When did that happen?!" yelled Franky.

"After Marineford and...I'll tell you later. Second is that I killed the navy's lieutenant that was here."

"Then we'd better go!" yelled Sanji.

"Agreed. But how? The marines will go after us if they see us leave." inquired Franky.

"Oh, don't worry about that." I said. I pulled out my mini snail phone that was on my wristwatch.

"Hancock, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you."

"Good. Distract the marines so we can get away."

"On it." I hung up.

"Okay. Let's go. Hancock will take care of it."

"She will?" asked Luffy.

"Don't worry about her."

"Boa Hancock! Move out of the way!"

"I don't feel like it. Is there a problem?" she asked them sweetly.

"N-No! Not at all!" They were all lovestruck.

"She's giving us time to get away. Let's get out of here."

"Who is that?" asked Nami.

"That's Boa Hancock. One of the Seven Warlords and the most beautiful woman in the world."

"The Pirate Empress?" asked Zoro.

"The one and only." I told him.

"OHHH! I can't take it! Her beauty is too dazzling!" yelled Brook after looking at her through a spyglass. He fell over.

"Let me see! Wow! She must be a goddess!" yelled Usopp.

"Goddess?! Where?!" yelled Sanji. He sprinted over to Usopp and took the telescope from his hand and looked through it.

"Goddess? Goddess, oh goddess. Where are you-" he turned to stone.

"He turned to stone!" yelled Usopp. I walked over and kicked Sanji back against the railing, knocking him out of his stone state.

"You idiot. If you just got off of Okama island, you sure as hell aren't ready to take the strain of seeing Hancock yet."

"Oh, there they are! Hancock and the others!"

"You know that Warlord?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, I was sent to Amazon Lily, the all-female island and befriended them."

"You bastard! Are you sure you really trained these last 2 years?!" yelled Sanji.

"Y-Yeah! I'm totally ready." After the Sunny got away and we went underwater, Luffy stood on top of a barrel.

"Guys, I'm sorry that you had to put up with my selfish decision for the past two years, but now we're all together again, and that's what counts!"

"YEAH!" they all screamed. Luffy opened the top of the barrel and brought mugs out for everyone.

"Whiskey." Zoro said, tasting it. They all grabbed a mug, except for me.

"Aaron, you want some?" asked Luffy.

"No thanks, I'm fine." I looked away. Nami walked over and sat next to me.

"We need to talk."

"We do?"

"Yes, to everyone." She turned to the rest of them. "How many of you saw him fight that Admiral on the news?"

"I did." responded Zoro.

"Not me." said Usopp.

"I did too." replied Sanji.

"I didn't!" protested Chopper.

"I did." Robin calmly said.

"So did I! It was SUPER ridiculous!"

"I saw it too. YOHOHOHO!"

"I didn't see it." responded Luffy nonchalantly.

"And of course I saw it." said Nami.

"How did you three not see it? It was broadcast all around the world. It was and still is what everyone's talking about." Zoro mentioned.

"We didn't have TV's where we were sent." replied the three in unison.

"Have you three at least heard of 'The Battle that Shook the World?'" asked Nami.

"I've heard of it." said Usopp.

"We haven't." replied the other two.

"That's what they're calling it? The Navy can be so cheesy." I murmured.

"That's not the point!" yelled Nami, angry.

"What have you heard about it, Usopp?" asked Robin.

"Only what other people have mentioned. That a really powerful Admiral showed up and fought some kind of Assassin, and won easily, even killed the guy brutally. Afterwards, the Assassin made a miraculous recovery and fought the Admiral a second time. They said that islands were exploding left and right, and that both the sea and sky were split in half due to that clash. They referred to it as 'The Battle that Shook the World.'"

"That Assassin was yours truly." I told him.

"WHAT?!" yelled the three that hadn't seen it.

"Right...Admiral Ryokugyu..." I thought about our fight.

" _Apollo's Judgement: Celestial Punch of Destruction."_

" _HYPERION'S JUDGEMENT: ASTRAL STRIKE OF A THOUSAND GODS!"_

I took my armor off to show them my scar. It was right on my chest, just like Luffy's, but bigger, and wasn't shaped like an x, more like a flared star shape. They all winced looking at it. I put my clothes back on.

"He's the most powerful man in the world, and the Grandmaster of the Templar Order, which makes him the true leader of the marines. He is Akainu's superior." Luffy became angry and touched his own scar.

"He completely overpowered me a few months ago, and brushed me aside like I was nothing. I was no match for him."

"You are now though, right?!" asked Usopp.

"Probably not." I responded, making them all worry. "Because he didn't show his full power in our battle."

"B-But you guys were obliterating islands left and right! How can he have more in reserve?!" yelled Sanji. I sighed.

"Every Admiral...has a final transformation that they're able to utilize. They are given an alias as their admiral title: Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, Fujitora, Ryokugyu. They all stand for an animal and a color that represents the Admiral: Red Dog, Yellow Monkey, Blue Pheasant, Wisteria Tiger, Green Bull. When an admiral combines their devil fruit with their haki and transform, they reach an overwhelming limit of power: a magma dog, a light monkey, an ice pheasant, a gravity tiger, an earth bull. And since Ryokugyu possesses two devil fruits, I have a feeling that he has even another form beyond his transformation."

"W-Wait a minute...he possesses TWO devil fruits?!" screamed Luffy.

"I thought that wasn't possible!" yelled Nami.

"Well, there's only three men in the world that do possess two devil fruits. The first is Blackbeard, who has the Dark Dark Fruit and now Whitebeard's Tremor Tremor fruit as well." Luffy snarled.

"But that's a different case. He's only able to have that second one because the Dark Dark Fruit has the power to absorb another devil fruit. The other two on the other hand, Dragon and Ryokugyu, possess two probably because of their incredible physical and mental capabilities."

"D-Dad has two devil fruits too?" asked Luffy.

"Yes. Dragon has the Wind Wind Fruit, a logia type, and then a mythical zoan, the Dragon Dragon Fruit."

"So what does this Ryokugyu have?" asked Zoro.

"His first one is the Crush Crush Fruit, a logia for the earth. It's so powerful that he doesn't need to use haki to injure another logia type. His second fruit is the most powerful devil fruit on earth, the counterpart to my own. It's called the Order Order Fruit."

"So what, he has like...the powers of supernatural gods or something?" Usopp joked.

"That's exactly correct."

"E-EHHHH?!" they all screamed.

"My devil fruit and Ryokugyu's are quite different from every other devil fruit out there. There's something that sets them apart from the rest. They're both Pieces of Eden." Everyone listened intently.

"Hawkeye mentioned something about that to me during our training." Zoro stated.

"What did he say?" I asked him.

"That in this world, ancient and powerful relics exist that once belonged to a highly advanced First Civilization or Precursor race. Then a worldwide global disaster struck, and they were pretty much wiped out, but that some of the relics still exist."

"That's exactly right. Although these relics mostly exist in other parts of the world, like the Caribbean Islands or Italy or France, the Chaos Chaos and Order Order Fruits are the most powerful relics out of all the rest, and usually aren't well known because it requires the user to have an enormous amount of physical and mental stamina. As a matter of fact, when I first ate this fruit, Captain Fisher Tiger, Jinbei, and Arlong were all worried that I would die from not being worthy of using it."

"But you were." mentioned Robin.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I'm equal to Ryokugyu. The Order Order Fruit is even stronger than my own powers. As Chaos is a stronger form of Darkness, Order is a stronger form of Light, so think of his fruit as Kizaru's on steroids." Everyone gulped.

"He doesn't have the super speed like Borsalino, but the amount of energy and power that he obtains is beyond imagination."

"But you'll beat him." mentioned Luffy.

"Not as I am right now."

"I know that. But one day, you will, right?"

"Of course. I have to." I smiled.

"Do you know of any other Pieces of Eden in this region of the world?" asked Nami.

"Actually…" I stood up and pulled out my sword, showing it to them.

"This is the Sword of Eden. Although it lost its powers centuries ago, it's still a legendary blade and one of the strongest in the world."

"Cool!" yelled Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, Sanji having to restrain them from exploding out of sheer excitement.

"We're almost there." Nami mentioned.

"Alright. Well then, I'm going to go change. I've been wearing these for a while now." I went into my room and changed out of Arno's armor. I came back wearing Edward's robes.

"That outfit...I've seen that style before." Robin mentioned.

"Yeah, this is from the Golden Age of Piracy."

"So it's new?" asked Luffy.

"No, a different one. This isn't the first region of the world that's had a pirate frenzy. The West Indies had one about 300 years ago, that lasted for about 7 years or so. These are the clothes and equipment of the legendary pirate and assassin, Edward Kenway."

"Never heard of him." stated Luffy, uninterested.

"Well you should study him. I think you'd find his life interesting."

"Hey, a kraken!" yelled Luffy.

 **X**

"Surume, what's wrong?!" asked Luffy, as the kraken passed out. The Thousand Sunny fell to the ocean floor.

"Hey, you guys!" yelled a fishman who was riding a sea king. There were a horde of sea monsters surrounding him and his two friends. Nami ran to Franky.

"Franky, refill our fuel! We need to use the last of the air to Coup de Burst into the island."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's the only way. We can't fight here, it'd be suicide! Our only option now is to flee."

"Alright, I'll get it ready."

"Who are you?!" asked Luffy.

"I'm Hammond! I'm an officer of the New Fishman Pirates!" My eyes narrowed.

'New Fishman Pirates?'

"You're Straw Hat Luffy, right? I have an offer to make you! I want you and your crew to join ours and become our underling! If you refuse, you'll die here. What do you say?"

"Moron! Why should I join you?! Idiot!"

"Oh well. Sea Lion, get them." A giant sea lion started speeding towards us. I was about to use my Conqueror's haki when Nami yelled for Franky to use Coup de Burst. The ship flew towards the bubble, and the rest of the air drained from the ship's coating, dragging us to the deck. After flying through the first bubble, the coating got absorbed.

"The coating got absorbed by the giant bubble!" yelled Luffy.

"There's still another layer coming up!" Zoro warned.

"Normally, a ship would fall from that distance and get destroyed!" yelled Nami.

"Don't worry! I'll use one last Coup de Burst to get us there!" The ship reached the second bubble, but once through it, water flooded onto the ship. Everyone was thrown off. Because of my devil fruit, I could swim, but the other 4 couldn't, and even the non-devil fruit users were losing consciousness because of the water pressure. I looked around. I saw a figure swim by quickly and grab Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy. Brook and Zoro were thrown the opposite way, and Franky could get Robin. I swam over to Nami and grabbed her, then disappearing from sight.

 **X**

I pulled the two of us out of the water and rested for a minute on one of the small land formations. I looked down at Nami, who was still unconscious. I sighed, and blasted a small amount of haki into her body to speed up her recovery. I stood up and teleported away.

'Usually, a normal human can't withstand a recovery through haki, as it will overpower their senses and physical abilities, but I can sense that Nami has haki dormant within her, so she'll be fine.' I appeared again at the Mermaid Café and walked to the back of it. I knocked on the door to one of the buildings.

"Come in." I opened it, and stepped inside.

"Shyarly." She looked at me with slightly widened eyes.

"Aaron. What are you doing here?"

"My friends just landed on the island, but we got separated thanks to the ocean's current. You've probably heard of us by now, right? The Straw Hat Pirates."

"Yes, and I heard that you joined them, as well. Your captain was the one who was responsible for stopping my brother, correct?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Actually, I watched him do it. If Luffy didn't defeat him, I would've stepped in and finished it myself."

"Ah, I see."

"I'm glad I didn't have to."

"How come?"

"I already tried fighting him once a long time ago. However, I was stopped by my emotional attachments to him, and didn't have it in me. I'd like to think that I do now, if he were to show up right in front of me, but...I'm still not sure."

"Don't think about it too much. What's done is done."

"I suppose you're right."

"What are you planning to do while you're here?"

"Well, first I was going to get some flowers to bring to the Captain's grave, and then I was going to go and find my friends."

"Okay. Here, then. I have a bouquet of flowers here that you can take." She handed me a bouquet of various colored flowers all wrapped up.

"Thank you. I'll see you around. When I find my friends, I'll be sure to bring them here."

"I look forward to it."

 **X**

I walked to the side path off of the town's main road. The path was very serene, surrounded with wildlife and quiet streams and flowing rivers. I arrived at the end, where an open area was. There was a golden statue of Fisher Tiger with a plaque about him right in the middle. This monument was also his grave stone. I walked over and placed the bouquet of flowers on the monument. I pulled my hood down and stood there for a minute while a slight breeze blew past me. I looked to my left and right and could picture Jinbe and Arlong standing next to me.

"Captain...it's good to see you again. It's been twenty years, hasn't it? There's someone I think you should know about. A young boy named Monkey D. Luffy. I only met him three years ago, and already it feels like he's part of my family. He's goofy and can be thick-headed at times, but he's the bravest man I know, and he's got the strength to back up his beliefs, too. I told myself that after you died, I would probably never find myself another pirate captain that was as worthy as you were, but...I think that he measures up pretty damn close to you." I smirked, then slowly turned and left. As I began to walk down the path, I was suddenly surrounded by royal soldiers.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"General, welcome back to the island. King Neptune wanted to see you, and he sent for the rest of your crew as well."

"What's it about?"

"I think it's to honor everything that you've done for the fishmen: defeat Arlong, save Jinbe and Hacchi, and because you're good friends of Camie and Pappagg."

"...Okay. But don't call me 'General', please. That was a long time ago."

"Of course, sir."

 **X**

"Where did Luffy go?" asked Nami. "He was just here!"

"Seriously, he can't sit still for a single minute, can he?" Usopp asked.

"That's just how he is. That's how Luffy and the rest of his family have always been." I walked into the room.

"Aaron!"

"Nami. King Neptune."

"Ah, hello again, Aaron."

"H-Huh? You've met the king before?" asked Usopp.

"Yes, the last time I was here." Nami started pouting at me. I looked at her and sighed.

"What did I do now?"

"Why didn't you come find us sooner?! You can sense our presence AND teleport to us instantly!" I glanced off into the other direction.

"I was visiting an old friend."

"Oh really?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes, really. And besides, is that the sort of tone that you should take with the one who saved you?"

"S-Saved me? What are you talking about?"

"I pulled you out of the ocean, and also sped up your recovery by shooting haki into your body." Nami stood back.

"Oh. Well then, thank you." Zoro walked over.

"I thought that ordinary people can't be saved through haki because the strain on their body would kill them." he whispered to me.

"That's still true, but Nami's not ordinary. I can sense all three types of haki dormant within her." I whispered back.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Nami. I looked at her.

"Nothing. How big your boobs have gotten." One moment later, Zoro and I were both on the floor, badly beaten.

"Y-Your majesty! Dire news!" yelled one of the soldiers that ran in.

"What is it-jamon?" he asked.

"Madame Shyarly saw a vision of the future just recently! She saw that Straw Hat Luffy...would cause the destruction of Fishman Island!"

"W-What?!" yelled the other Straw Hats. I glanced at the messenger for a moment, then teleported away again.

"H-HUH?! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS, LEAVING US HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SITUATION LIKE THIS?!" screamed Nami.

 **X**

I appeared in front of Shyarly and her home. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. I opened the door and peaked inside. The lights were off, so it was dark, but I could see a streak of red across the floor. I clenched my fist.

"What the hell is happening on this island?"

"We are." I turned around to see an entire army of armed fishmen staring me down.

"And you are…?"

"We're part of the New Fishmen Pirates! We're here to kill you in the name of Captain Hody Jones!"

"There's that name again. Who are the New Fishmen Pirates, exactly?"

"We're the remnants of both the Sun and Arlong pirates who believe that the Fishmen are the superior life forms, and that humans should be enslaved by us and do our bidding! We're the stronger race!"

"...Not this bullshit again. Fine. Why are so many of you here?"

"Captain Hody has personally sent the 50,000 most elite of our group after you. He knows that you are one of the three former Generals of the Sun Pirates, and that you're power is fearsome. So we're here to take you out." They started charging at me. I sighed.

"I don't have time to deal with you idiots. **You bore me.** " I sent a single wave of Conqueror's Haki towards them, and after a pause, I began walking through all of them. One by one, they fell behind me.

"I should go have a word with this 'Hody Jones'."

 **X**

Hody stood at the bottom at the cliff with King Neptune lying at his feet. The rest of the island was watching from the top of the cliff. Hody took one of his drug supplement pills out and stared at it for a minute.

" _Captain, someone's here."_

" _I see that. Do you have business with me?" The figure smiled._

" _Yes, I do. I'd like to give you something, courtesy of the Templar Order."_

" _Templar Order? Where have I heard that name before…? Ah, Admiral Ryokugyu and Aaron Hawthorne mentioned it a few times when they fought on international television."_

" _Correct. Ryokugyu is our leader. I'm one of his subordinates, a Templar." The figure pointed to a cross that he was wearing around his neck._

" _So you want to give me something? How did you get down here in the first place? We're at the bottom of the ocean."_

" _I'm like you." The figure stepped out into the light a little more so that he was visible._

" _Y-You!" Hody gasped._

" _We're taking too much time. Here. They're drug supplements. Normally, a fishman is ten times more powerful than a human. Eat one of these and you double that to twenty times. Another one will make 40 times. Use them as you like, but be careful. They can drastically shorten your lifespan if you ingest them in large quantities."_

" _You're just giving us something so powerful?"_

" _Think of it is a thank you gift for continuing my work."_

Hody sighed.

"I suppose it's time for me to end you and the rest of Ryuuguu Kingdom."

"Luffy, PLEASE SAVE MY FATHER!" I watched from the cliff. And right on cue, Luffy busted out of Megalo and kicked Hody into a cliff. Then the rest of them showed up, and Jinbe's handcuffs fell off, freeing him. I sighed and continued watching, standing next to Shyarly.

"Why don't you go and fight with your captain?"

"I'll help when the time calls for it. They don't need me right now."

"There's 100,000 enemies! What are we going to do?!" screamed Chopper.

"There's ten of us, so we each have to take out 10,000."

"Try not to shit yourself, cook. It's not like they're elite navy soldiers."

"What was that?!"

"What, you wanna go?!" Luffy pushed them out of the way and walked towards all of them.

"Huh? Luffy?" they asked. Before anything else could happen, Luffy unleashed a blast of Conqueror's, which knocked out half of the army.

"Wh-What happened?! He knocked out half of us in an instant!"

"That's 50,000 instantly?! What did he do?!"

"That Straw Hat Boy. He's so strong."

"I told you." I jumped down to see the rest of them.

"You said that your name was Hody, right? I guess I have to kick your ass. You can become king of whatever you want in any country. But there can only be one King of the Pirates!" Just then, I landed on the ground with a strong gust of wind blowing through the entire area. Everyone became startled, and jumped when they felt this. They all looked behind them to see me slowly walking towards Luffy and Hody.

"Well look who finally showed up!" Nami screamed, angry. I stopped as I was passing by her. I looked at her for a moment.

"Sorry. I'll make it up to you." I kept walking, and her lips parted, her face turning into one of concern.

'He's changed a lot...what happened to him?' she thought.

"So you're Hody?" He had a look of terror on his face.

"I sent 50,000 elite soldiers and officers after you! How are you still alive?!" he yelled at me.

"Yeah, I was surprised too. Surprised that you consider me so small of a threat. 50,000 elite fishmen soldiers...what a bore." I said while looking at him uninterested. The rest of the Straw Hats gulped.

"He's gotten incredibly powerful as well, hasn't he?" Robin mentioned.

"You son of a bitch! Those men were veterans that worked under Jinbe and Arlong both! You have no idea how good they were! You killed all of them!"

"No I didn't. They're all unconscious, right where I left them. It only took a single instant, and every one of them dropped before my eyes." Hody's eyes widened. I looked at him.

"What, did you think that Luffy was the only one in our crew capable of using all 3 types of haki? And it's not just us, either. There's one more among us who can use all three, they just don't know it yet." The rest of the Straw Hats looked at each other, trying to figure out who it was.

"It must be Zoro, right?" asked Usopp.

"Probably not. I would have been aware of it by now." he responded.

"You can sense it, too?" asked Luffy.

"Of course." We both snuck a quick glance back at Nami, but she didn't notice it. I turned back to Hody and everyone started watching and listening to us again.

"You guys are really hell-bent on proving that humans are inferior, aren't you? You're just like him."

"Yes, because it's true! I grew up on the stories of the legendary Sun Pirates, their three generals, and Captain Fisher Tiger! But I never cared for him, or you, or Jinbe! Only one inspired me. Arlong was my hero! And now we're continuing his work! And unlike him, we'll end up accomplishing it!" Everything went quiet for a moment, and then I started laughing.

"Hehehe...hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Y-You dare to laugh at our dream?!"

"It's not your dream I'm laughing at! It's the fact that you think you're better than the Sun Pirates! Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you're nothing compared to Arlong, Jinbe, myself, or the Captain."

"What makes you so sure of yourself?"

"Simple. Throughout my entire 4 decades of life in this world, I've only ever come across three men that I truly admire and that are worthy of their reputation. Those three men are Fisher Tiger, Monkey D. Dragon, and this boy right here, Monkey D. Luffy." I pointed to him. The rest of the Straw Hats smiled.

"And one more thing: I'm not your average human. I've eaten one of the most powerful devil fruits in the world, possess all 3 types of haki, and I hold a power within myself that surpasses both of those abilities. And after coming so far with furthering my powers, I realized something. That there's only two men in this world that are truly stronger than me. And as far as I can see…" I started walking towards him. "...You're neither one of them." He ate one of his pills and flew at me. I extended my hand.

"Armament Hardening: Repulsion." My arm hardened, and as he collided with my fist, he was sent flying backwards into the cliff from the burst of haki that I fired at him. He stepped out of the cliff a few moments later, gasping.

"I want you to transform! I'll prove to you that I can beat you!"

"I just proved that I can beat you as is, and you want me to transform for you? That's really stupid on your part. Alright. If you insist. Demon Mode." A giant pillar of chaos energy exploded around my body, and purple and black lightning flew everywhere, striking the ground and cliffs, shattering them apart. Everyone had to hold onto something due to the ground shaking. The weaker Straw Hats fell forward onto their knees. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji released their own haki to counter mine and stay standing. Nami also did it unconsciously, though she didn't realize it. Usopp looked up at her.

"N-Nami, how are you still standing?!"

"You guys aren't? I'm fine. Wait a minute...WHY AM I FINE?!" She looked over at Zoro and Sanji.

"It's because the third person with all 3 types of haki is you! You're unconsciously releasing your own presence to fight back his!" Zoro told her. Everyone's jaw dropped except for Luffy's and Zoro's.

"M-Me?" she asked. "Why do I of all people have the ability to use all three of those?"

"Because your will is strong." Luffy stated, suddenly standing next to her. "You should be happy. Only one in a million people can use Conqueror's, you know. We can sense all 3 types within you. You just have to learn how to bring them out." Nami looked at herself for a moment.

"So how do I do that?"

"Through training, either with a mentor, or by yourself." I answered her own question for her. "Luffy and I will teach you later, but for now, don't worry about it. Use the skills that you have control over, the ones you've been harnessing in the last two years. Luffy's right. Just the fact that you possess all 3 types of haki and the fact that you're using conqueror's right now to keep yourself from passing out is amazing, Nami." Luffy put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him.

"Don't worry. I'll be your teacher, Nami. I'll show you how to use it yourself." He gave her his trademark grin, which made her blush a little bit.

"Let's watch the show, shall we?" asked Zoro. They all looked back at me.

"So this is your full power?! Impossible! How can you be so strong?!"

"I told you, I'm different from everybody else." But to be honest with you, I don't think I have the attention span to deal with you, so I'll leave you in Luffy's hands." I deactivated my transformation and started walking away to go fight some of the other fishmen.

"Don't you dare...walk away from me! Shark on Tooth!" He spun around the same way that Arlong does and flew at me.

"T-That attack!" shouted Nami. The earlier members of the crew remembered Luffy's fight with Arlong all too well. I hardened my arm and without even looking behind me, moved my hand behind myself, and caught him in the middle of his spin. After he had become still again, I let go of him and released my haki. He started taking a few steps back.

"W-What the hell are you?! You were not supposed to be this strong! He told me that it would be easy with these pills!" Hody started eating more of them. I turned around.

"Who told you? Who gave you those pills?" Hody grinned evilly.

"One of the Templars." My eyes widened, and then I smiled.

"You've peaked my interest. Which one? Kuma, Doflamingo, Mihawk? Fujitora, Kizaru, Akainu? Ryokugyu?"

"None of the above." he smirked.

"What?" He began to laugh.

"I'm afraid that's all I can say for now."

"...Luffy, he's all yours." I walked away, and Luffy went towards him, passing by me. I walked back to the rest of the crew and sat down.

"You're not going to fight?" asked Zoro.

"I'll just use my Conqueror's when I need to. I want to see what you guys have learned over the past two years." Zoro grinned.

"Alright." And the battle commenced.

"Black Rope Dragon Twister!"

"Sky Walk! Diable Jambe: Poele a Frire Spectre!"

"Black Ball Rod! Gust Sword!"

"Monster Point!"

"Gigantesco Mano! Stomp!"

"Blizzard Slice."

"Special attack: Green Star. Impact Wolf!"

"Franky Shogun! Franky Radical Beam!"

"That's exactly why I don't need to fight. Hm?" Some fishmen started lunging at me.

"Shave." I faced off with some of them.

"Your turn." Zoro looked at me. I sighed.

"Demon Mode. Chaotic Oblivion Fist." I charged up my fist and hit the fishmen straight into the stomach. An enormous shockwave of chaos and haki spread throughout the area, knocking almost everyone to the ground, and the pressure didn't let them move. The rest of the fishmen were down. Everyone stood up again afterwards.

"How strong has he even gotten?" Nami whispered. Everyone else was shocked. I looked down at one of the fishmen who was still conscious.

"You should be grateful. I used just enough power so that it wouldn't kill you. That was about 30% of my full strength." The other Strawhats were dumbfounded.

"How strong is your haki compared to Luffy's?" asked Sanji.

"Stronger. I could have taken out 90,000 of those fishmen at my full power."

"WHAT?! THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU?!" everyone screamed at me.

"Because the entire area could have been destroyed. And because I'm saving it for something else, not something as trivial as this." I looked away.

"Gum Gum Red Hawk! Elephant Gatling!" As Luffy fell after attempting to destroy the Noah, Shirahoshi caught him and brought him back down.

"Luffy won't stop bleeding! He needs help now!"

"I'll give him my blood. We have the same type." Jinbe said to Chopper and everyone. I walked up to them and stood next to Nami.

"Hey, Jinbe...join my crew!" My eyes narrowed.

"Sorry, Luffy, but...not right now. I have some other important things to take care of, but after that...of course!" The two of them smiled.

"Speaking of which...I've been meaning to ask you, Aaron…"

"Mm?" I looked over.

"Why did you join Luffy's crew in the first place? I thought that after what happened, you decided to never fight under another Pirate Captain again?" The rest of the Straw Hats looked at me, curious. I sat down near them.

"Well, I suppose it was a number of different things. First was the fact of Luffy's dream: he wanted to become the Pirate King, and he proved that he had the guts and will to do so. And if he became the Pirate King, then we would eventually battle the Templars. Secondly, Nami was traveling with him. And because of the fact that she hated pirates so much, I thought that if Luffy had made an impression on her, then perhaps he would on me as well. Third was the promise that I made to his family: Garp and Dragon. I told them that I would protect Luffy and his brothers, so by going with them, I would be able to keep a better eye out for him. The New World is a dangerous place with powerful people, as they've already proven." I pointed to Luffy's scar on his chest. "And finally, believe it or not, he reminded me of the captain a lot. He was fearless, trusting, and overall the kind of man that you just have to follow around." Jinbe smiled, but mine started to fade.

"But...coming here only reminds me of how much things have changed." They all looked at me.

"To tell you the truth, I miss traveling around with everyone: Captain. Arlong. Hancock. Shanks. Dragon. Mihawk. Even Kuma." I gritted my teeth as a single tear fell down my cheek and hit the ground. Luffy looked at me.

" _Listen, kid. I've experienced fates far worse than what happened today throughout my life. My parents were murdered in front of me. My captain died early because of a disease. My family, my crew, tore itself in half due to philosophical difference of opinion. My friends have betrayed me to go work and fight for the other side, against me."_

"Aaron." I looked at him.

"Don't worry about it. We're here for you now, and don't you forget it." Everyone smiled, myself included.

 **X**

The party was nice. Everyone was sitting in the giant concert hall with the fishmen jazz band playing music. I walked up to Luffy, who had taken a break from eating and was sitting at a table alone. I sat down next to him.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"What to do after becoming the Pirate King. Has a Pirate Queen ever existed?" My eyes widened, suddenly realizing what he was asking about.

"Of course. Ace's mom, Portgas D. Rouge."

"I see." Luffy's eyes wandered off towards Nami and he watched her for a few minutes.

"Don't stare." I stood up.

"Oh. Sorry." I walked away, but looked back to see him staring at her again. I smirked and walked towards some of the other Straw Hats: Franky, Zoro, and Robin. I sat down at the table with them.

"What's up?" asked Zoro. I paused, then started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Robin asked me.

"Our little idiot's falling in love." I chuckled. Their jaws all dropped to the floor.

"W-WHAT?! With who?!" asked Franky. I pointed to Nami, who was currently having a glass of wine. Robin chuckled, and Zoro grinned.

"I want you guys to keep this quiet though, so no one else ruins their chances, mainly Sanji, or Nami herself if she doesn't feel the same way."

"Got it." they all agreed.

"I have an idea. It will push Luffy right along."

"What is it?" asked Robin.

"You guys have never heard me sing yet, have you?"

"Are you going to?" they asked excitedly. I stood up and walked towards Nami. She turned and looked at me.

"Hey. Need something?"

"I suppose you could say that. What do you think of Luffy?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly what I just said."

"W-Well, he's my captain. What more do I need to say?"

"A lot more. That's a childish answer." She sighed.

"He saved me. Saved me from Arlong, and gave me a home. A real home, right here on the Sunny. He and I have always been close, especially since I was one of the first people to join him."

"Do you love him?" She blushed, but didn't gasp. Instead she smiled.

"I think I do, to be honest. But I doubt that he has those same feelings towards me. I don't think that someone like Luffy would have any romantic feelings towards girls, no matter how attractive they might be." I chuckled.

"You may just be surprised, Nami." I walked away, over towards the band. They had just finished a song. I walked up to the singer.

"Oh, General Aaron, sir."

"Don't call me that anymore, please. You don't have to be so formal with me."

"My apologies, Sir. Did you need something?"

"I have a request. And I'd like to sing for a bit if you don't mind."

"O-Of course not, Sir! I'm sure that everyone will be thrilled." She handed me the microphone. I turned to the band. They looked at me, wondering what song I wanted them to play.

"Fly Me to the Moon." I told them. They all smiled and started playing. Everyone looked over at me, getting ready. They hadn't heard me sing in forever.

 _Fly Me to the Moon, Let me play among the stars._

 _Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars._

 _In other words, hold my hand. In other words, baby kiss me._

Everyone cheered, and Luffy and Nami were listening intently. They looked over at each other, blushed, and looked away. Luffy stood up and walked over to her.

 _Fill my heart with song and let me sing forever more._

 _You are all I long for all I worship and adore._

 _In other words, please be true. In other words, I love you._

Luffy stood next to her now. They looked at each other.

"Nami."

"Luffy."

"Nami, I know you love money, but do...do you love anything more than that?"

"...Yes, Luffy. Yes, I do."

"What is it?"

"I...I can't tell you yet. You'll have to figure it out." she smirked. Luffy pouted. He didn't want to play her little games. She gave him a soft kiss on his forehead, and then handed him a drink. I smiled, and finished the song.

 _Fill my heart with song, let me sing forever more._

 _You are all I long for, all I worship and adore._

 _In other words, please be true. In other words, in other words, I love you!_

Everyone clapped, and I gave the microphone back to the mermaid singer. I walked back to the others.

"That was amazing!" They all told me.

"Thanks. But something even better came out of it." I pointed over to the two of them.

"Yeah, I saw, but they didn't kiss yet." Zoro told me.

"I know, but I didn't expect them to. They got farther than I expected them to for a first time. Those two have got it bad for each other." We all laughed.

 **X**

"Luffy, have you heard about what's currently going on in the world right now?" Jinbe asked. Most of the Straw Hats were sitting with Jinbe in the other room.

"No. What's happened?"

"After Marineford, both your grandfather, Vice-Admiral Garp, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku resigned from the navy. So they needed someone to take up that mantle. Sengoku recommended Aokiji, as he was fair and well-liked by his subordinates. However, most of the navy higher ups favored Akainu for the position. Aokiji usually doesn't show his passions, but he hated the idea of Akainu becoming Fleet Admiral. They decided to fight it out to see who deserved the position. The winner would lead the navy. The battle exploded on an island somewhere, and lasted for 10 days. In the end, Akainu won. Sakazuki is the new Fleet Admiral."

"Akainu…" Luffy said angrily. I clenched my fists. "Did Aokiji die?" he asked.

"Even the merciless Red Dog of the marines showed restraint and allowed his former comrade to live, as he could barely stand. However, Aokiji couldn't stand working for someone like him, so he gave up his position and left."

"What?! He's not a navy soldier, is he?" asked Usopp.

"No. He resigned from the Navy and went rogue." I responded. They all looked at me.

"You've heard about this already?" Jinbe asked.

"Unfortunately. I want you all to pay attention." I warned. They listened intently.

"Sakazuki isn't the type of person that you want to lead the Navy. Personally, I always liked Sengoku a lot better. You know full well that eventually we'll have to face the Admirals, for keeps. For both Luffy's and my own goals. If we ever run into them, and we're either not prepared or not together as a group, you run. And I mean run. Don't think you can beat them by trying really hard. Don't try to be a hero."

"Even if we have haki?" asked Zoro.

"Yes. Not a single one of us is prepared to face someone like Sakazuki yet. I'm not even sure I can at my current level. Perhaps one of the other ones, but I'm not sure about him."

"Ah, yeah. I heard from Dragon that you were strong enough to defeat Kizaru in the combat animus." Jinbe mentioned. All of the Straw Hats looked stunned.

"That's right, but...fighting a virtual version and fighting the real thing are completely different, even if their powers are the same. Kizaru's devil fruit makes things harder. I know Akainu is stronger than him, and Ryokugyu is even worlds beyond that." I turned grim.

"You two have some explaining to do when we get back to the ship." Sanji said towards myself and Luffy as he walked away, back into the lounge.

 **X**

"YOU GAVE HER ALL OF IT?!" I watched on as the monster trio were easily beaten into submission by the demon of a navigator that we had.

"You challenged an Emperor, Luffy?! You idiot!" Usopp yelled. I sighed and facepalmed. It's as if no one had matured at all over the two years away from each other.

"So you challenged Charlotte...huh."

"You've met her before?" asked Franky.

"Once, when I was sailing with the Red Hair Pirates. She's absolutely insane. And persistent, at that."

"Do you think Luffy can beat her?"

"I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not. She's probably the weakest Emperor of the four. Luffy's not strong enough for the other three yet. Shanks' haki is still twice as strong as his own. He's still stronger than myself."

 **X**

"I want to give this to you. It's a new kind of log pose."

"There's three different needles. What does that mean?"

"To get through the Grand Line, you need to navigate safely. A good navigator can determine which island is the safest to go to by watching the slight movement of the needles. They measure the magnetic pulses of the islands. The more the needle moves, the more dangerous the island is." Just then, Luffy came down, or rather, his head came down, all stretched out, and wrapped around Nami, looking at the new log pose, and the needle that was moving the most. Nami started crying out.

"Luffy! I'm the one who will decide where we go from now on!"

"Screw that! I'm the captain!"

"Please, Captain! Listen to what the navigator has to say!" Usopp and Chopper begged. Afterwards, we all got on the ship and said our goodbyes.

"Jinbe, I'll call you when I receive important information about the Templars' movements."

"Understood. It was good to see you."

"I'll come back and visit soon, when I get the chance, Shyarly. There's something that I'd like to look into."

"Of course. It was good to see you."

And with that, we left.

 **End.**

 **2 things: first, I'm not actually 40 years old, I hope that would be obvious. It's just for the purposes of my character and his background. That, by the way, will be explained in full after Dressrosa, which is a major plot point, and will probably be separated into two chapters, depending on length. Secondly, Luffy and Nami love starts here! There will be small scenes here and there, but it doesn't go full circle until Solacia, because that's the perfect environment to fall in love. In case you don't remember, Solacia is an Assassin Controlled nightclub island after Zou that is managed by Boa Hancock. I'm looking forward to everything after Punk Hazard, because that's where a lot more of my own material and not the One Piece timeline's comes in. For those of you that keep up with the Manga, Dressrosa will have a different ending: Luffy doesn't fight Fujitora, and doesn't gain all of the loyalties of the Colosseum Competitors. Just a heads up. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it.**


	14. Punk Hazard

**Songs**

 **Ryokugyu's Identity: Invasion (Bleach OST), Treachery (Bleach OST)**

 **My past (Bleach OST)**

 **Combat Animus: Animus Black (AC Rogue Soundtrack)**

 **Templar Meeting: On the Precipice of Defeat (Bleach OST)**

"Time to talk. What is Akainu like? And who really is Ryokugyu?" Sanji asked. Everyone was sitting down looking at Luffy and myself.

"Akainu's a former admiral that was just promoted to Fleet Admiral. He was the most ruthless of the three of them, and he's the one who killed Ace and gave Luffy his scar. As for Ryokugyu...he's the boss."

"The boss of what?" asked Chopper.

"Everything. The Navy, the Admirals, for all we know, maybe even the Commander-in-Chief Kong and the Gorosei."

"So he leads the Navy, and he's the Templar Grandmaster. And he's the strongest man in the world. We already knew that." Zoro responded.

"That's not what I meant." They all looked confused. I looked at them with a dark face.

"He's the one responsible for all of your hardships. He's the one who organized all of our major conflicts."

"W-What do you mean?" asked Usopp, becoming slightly scared.

"Shells Town. He's the one who stationed Lieutenant Morgan there and gave the order to execute Zoro. Orange Town. He's the one who manipulated events so that Buggy's crew would take it over." Zoro and Nami's eyes began widening.

"A-Aaron-" began Nami.

"Syrup Village." I cut her off. "He's the one who hired Kuro to kill Kaya and steal her property." Usopp gritted his teeth in anger. "The Baratie. He's the one who sent Hawkeye after Zoro. He's the one who commanded Krieg to destroy the restaurant." Sanji and Zoro once again became angry.

"Arlong Park." Nami backed away in fear. "He's the one who knew about Bellemere's resignation and Nami's Cartography genius. He's the one who informed Arlong of her and told him to subjugate the village under his rule." Tears began to form in Nami's eyes.

"Drum Island. He's the one who made Wapol in charge of it and began a reign of terror. He's the one responsible for Hiriluk's death." Chopper became angry.

"Alabasta." I said maliciously. Everyone was beginning to understand just how dangerous this man was. "He's the one who came up with the revolution. He's the one who placed Crocodile in charge in order to measure his ability and invite him to join the Templars. Skypiea. He's the one who offered Eneru his devil fruit and had him rule with an iron fist. Water 7 and Enies Lobby." Robin and Franky gasped. "He's the one who told Lucci, Kaku, and the rest to take down Iceberg and Franky and execute Robin. Thriller Bark." Brook stood back. "He's the one who gave Moriah his devil fruit and told him to capture shadows. He's the one who provided him his zombie army and inducted him into the Order. He's the one who ordered Kuma to attack us. Sabaody Archipelago. He's the one who sent Kizaru after us when Luffy punched that Celestial Dragon. And now this: He's the one who provided the New Fishman Pirates with their power drugs." Everyone was silent, until Luffy spoke up.

"Aaron, it's time that you tell us about your past. All of it." I looked at him.

"No. Not yet. You aren't ready for it."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" asked Sanji.

"We just got back together. I wouldn't want to ruin the fun with any mental breakdowns now, would I?" I asked with a malevolent tone. They all looked at me differently than usual: they looked afraid.

"Are you ready to see the very depths of hell that this world has to offer? Murder, Betrayal, Insanity? Not yet, Luffy. I'll only say this once more: **You're not ready.** " I walked towards the training room.

"I want you all to see something that I brought along." They followed me into the room. I walked over to the Combat Animus.

"When did you put that in here?" asked Zoro and Franky.

"Back on Sabaody. It's called a Combat Animus. You can use it to train and fight virtually."

"Really?" asked Franky.

"Really Really. I have loads of opponents programmed into here, including ourselves. Pirates, Marines, and Revolutionaries alike. They're all rated on a scale from 1 to 5, 5 being the hardest, according to their real life skills. When you get hooked up into the machine, you enter a comatose state and are transported into a virtual world where you fight your opponent as if it were real."

"COOL!" Luffy yelled.

"Hold it!" Nami grabbed his arm before he could press any buttons. "What's the catch?" she asked me.

"Any wounds or battle damage that you acquire in there will transmit to out here. If you become critically injured, or are on the verge of death, then the simulation will stop, and you'll wake up out here again, but you'll still be in that state. So don't bite off more than you can chew. That means no one out of your league, Luffy." I looked at him intently.

"That goes for all of you. Know your limits." I started up the program and the overhead screen became visible to everyone. An automated voice began to speak to me.

"Welcome to the Combat Animus Training Protocol. Please select an affiliation to proceed." There were three options on the screen: Pirates, Revolutionaries, and Marines. I selected Pirates.

"You have selected Pirates. Please choose a group difficulty." There were four categories now printed on the screen: Normals, Supernovas, Warlords, and Emperors & Legends. I pressed the last one.

"You have selected Emperors & Legends. Please choose an opponent."

"Are you really going to fight someone this powerful?" asked Zoro.

"No. I'm just showing you how the machine works." I scrolled through to show 7 different opponents.

"Please select an opponent from the following choices: Charlotte Linlin, aka Big Mom. Kaido of the Beasts. Edward Newgate, aka Whitebeard. Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard. Red Haired Shanks. Dark King Silvers Rayleigh. Gol D. Roger." I pushed Shanks.

"You have selected Red Haired Shanks. Difficulty 5 out of 5. Will you proceed?" I hit no and shut the machine off.

"See how it works?" They all nodded.

"Let me fight Shanks!" yelled Luffy. Nami beat him into the ground.

"Didn't you just hear what he said?! Know your limits, Luffy!"

"She's right. You're not ready to take on Shanks yet. He's still stronger than myself, and his haki is twice as strong as yours when he's in a good mood. Come on." We dragged Luffy out of the training room and continued on with our normal day.

 **X**

"I walked out of the training room after a combat animus session. No one was around. I looked over at the island we were docked at. It was snowing, and cold. I saw something in the distance: a volcano? It took about two and a half seconds before I realized where we were.

"Luffy you idiot!" I went back into my room and changed into Ezio's robes from his time in Constantinople. They were the thickest and best suited for the cold. I ventured off the ship to go see where they all were. I felt a powerful presence from on the island. It was faintly familiar, but definitely not one of the Straw Hats.

"Hm…" I activated my Eagle Sense and found an entrance of some sort not too far from me. I entered into the factory, and the first thing I saw was Nami and some of the Straw Hats running with a bunch of giant kids. They flew by me, so I didn't bother to ask what was going on. I was after other information. I followed my eagle sense to a room that looked like a small laboratory. There were three people in it. The first was a woman who looked like a harpy. The second was Trafalgar Law, the warlord. I knew about him already, as he had shown prior interest in joining the Brotherhood. The last one was someone who I didn't recognize. Law called him Caesar Clown. Law left the room to go calm the riot that the rest of my crew was causing. This gave me the perfect opportunity to find out what he was doing here, and why the island was still in operation, especially after the chemical bomb disaster and the Admirals' battle. Caesar then picked up a snail phone that was ringing.

"Hello?"

"Caesar."

"Joker! How are you doing?" My expression turned into one of anger.

'Doffy. Caesar works for him?'

"I wanted to check on your progress with SAD and SMILE."

"Things are going well. We're producing more and more Zoan's by the hour. As soon as they've been tested safe, we'll send them right over to you for your business."

"Excellent. Keep up the good work. You know that Kaido doesn't like to be kept waiting."

'He's doing business with Kaido? I know Law hates Doffy. He must have some ulterior motive for being here. Interesting.' I smiled.

"I've sent Baby 5 and Buffalo over to you to pick up some of them so that I can examine them personally."

"Understood! I'll see them in a bit then!" I left and went back outside, as I sensed that everyone had escaped. I teleported over to them, and saw Chopper sitting at a table, analyzing something. Everyone else was talking. Law was with them. I walked over.

"Oi, Luffy."

"Huh? Oh! Aaron! You're here!"

"Yeah. Law."

"Hello again, Aaron-ya."

"I have a question to ask you, Law. What are you doing here? You're obviously not allied with Caesar if Doflamingo's involved."

"Perceptive as always. I came here for information, and I have a plan."

"What is it?"

"Caesar is manufacturing man-made devil fruits under Doflamingo's orders. He ships them over to Dressrosa when they are ready. From there, Doflamingo trades with his clients. His most important business partner right now is Kaido, King of the Beasts."

"The Emperor."

"Right. Straw Hat-ya and I decided to form an alliance to stop the production of these fruits. We were going to defeat Caesar and capture him, then head over to Dressrosa and destroy the SMILE factory underground there. With production stopped, Kaido will go after Doflamingo and fight him. He's not the negotiating type."

"No, he's not...the Donquixote Family would be slaughtered."

"Right. Luffy and I are going to stay allied together until we manage to take down Kaido."

"That's a suicide mission. You'll get slaughtered too."

"I know, but...we'll manage it somehow."

"Hmph. Alright. Not the emperor I'd like to start with, but whatever. Now let's go get Caesar."

"Right." Luffy started walking in with me.

"A suicide mission?" Nami asked Law. He ignored her and kept walking. I looked back at her.

"He's the strongest pirate alive. We don't stand a chance." I kept walking.

"Then why are we doing it?!" she yelled angrily.

"Because we have to." Luffy said. And on we walked.

 **X**

"So we're going on to Dressrosa now?" I asked. Law had just blackmailed Doflamingo. He along with Momonosuke and Kin'emon were traveling with us.

"Yes."

"Have you ever been there?" asked Luffy.

"No, I haven't." Law answered.

"I have." I responded.

"What's it like?" Law asked.

"Hmm...It's kind of hard to describe."

"Is it nice?" Nami asked.

"Yes and no."

"What does that mean?"

"It's a spanish-themed city that's supposed to be very peaceful. There's lot of culture there, and it's also famous for making people fall in love." Sanji started swirling around. Everyone else didn't really care. Robin chuckled, and Luffy and Nami gave off a faint blush, remembering their conversation at Fishman Island.

"But on the other hand, that country has a horrific, dark past. Plus it's ruled by Doffy, so you know that that can't end well." I shrugged. We continued the conversation in the dining hall.

"We've heard that the rest of my friends are waiting on an island called Zou, so that's where I was going to head after Dressrosa." Kin'emon mentioned. I sat up.

"What a coincidence. I was also going to head there myself after this. The rest of my crew is already there." There was a moment of silence before I spoke up.

"Why do you want to go there? Finally take us up on our offer?"

"Yes, I was hoping to. Especially after taking down Doflamingo."

"Excellent. We could use another Master Assassin."

"I'm lost. Weren't we talking about Zou?" Zoro asked.

"Zou's the headquarters of the Assassin Brotherhood. Did you guys even know the name of the island that I fought Ryokugyu on?"

"Really?!" asked Chopper.

"Really. When we arrive there, all of the Master Assassins are to greet us. They arranged the appointment already."

"How many is that?" asked Sanji.

"Hancock, Jinbe, myself, Rayleigh, Shanks, Dragon, and one other who's a surprise."

"Huh? Dad will be there?" asked Luffy.

"In the flesh."

"H-Hold on a minute! Why would we go somewhere so dangerous that Dragon himself is living on the island?!" screamed Nami.

"Nami? Would you rather be hunted down by the Templars, or be hunted down by the Templars knowing that one of the most powerful men in the world is protecting you? He knows Luffy's coming, he's not going to act hostile towards any of us."

"...Okay."

"I want to know more about Kaido!" Luffy cheered. Everyone's face turned blue.

"Fine. You want to know more about him?"

"Yeah. What's he like."

"Actually, he's a pretty cool guy. But he's crazy."

"Crazy how?" asked Franky slowly.

"Crazier than a drunk Zoro, rich Nami, or hungry Luffy." They all laughed slightly.

"The man has 500 devil fruit users in his army, and that's just a start."

"W-W-WHAT?! Who doesn't want to do this?! I don't!" Usopp yelled. Nami and Chopper agreed with him.

"He's been caught and tortured 18 times, and people have attempted to execute him 40 times. He's escaped every single incident unscathed because the weapons were not strong enough to kill him and shattered. Because of this, he has a hobby of attempting suicide."

"W-What?! WHY?!" Nami screamed.

"Because he's taken an interest into what can kill him. I've witnessed him dive off of a 10,000 foot cliff and plummet into the ground, only to come out without a scratch. He even seemed disappointed that it didn't work. Like I told you, the man's insane, and frankly Law, if you want to fight someone as powerful as that, I'd wait until we land at Zou and gain our allies. We'll have two warlords, an Emperor, the Vice-Captain of the Pirate King, and Dragon helping us out. Plus, the last Master Assassin has strength almost equal to that of an Admiral."

"A-An Admiral? Who is it?" Sanji asked.

"Can't tell you. It would ruin Luffy's surprise. Got it, Robin? Not a word."

"Understood." She giggled and continued reading.

"Y-You know too?!" Luffy whined.

"Yes. He's an elite member of the Revolutionary Army, that's all I can say. And you know him very well." Luffy thought for a moment.

"Is it Aaron?" I bashed his head into the ground, my face angry.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT I'M ONE OF THEM!"

"Luffy, just leave it at that! You'll meet him soon enough. He's scheduled to be in Dressrosa anyway." I growled.

 **X**

"You're back."

"Yes. Mission accomplished. I have it now."

"Excellent. Come with me." They walked through the corridor into the Fleet Admiral's room.

"Saka."

"Hm?"

"He's back with the Devil Fruit." Ryokugyu looked over in the corner of the room to see Arlong relaxing on the couch. His outfit was different than before. He still wore his hat, but wore a long black trench coat and black shorts now. His back had a sturdy leather sheath strapped to it, for placing his Kiribachi in. It was currently next to him on the couch. Around his neck was a long gold chain that reached down to his chest. The end of the chain sported a gold and black templar cross.

"Call Doffy. We need to talk to him."

"Alright." Sakazuki turned on the large monitor behind him and called Doflamingo through a snail phone. A few moments later, the Warlord appeared on the monitor.

"Hahaha...Grand Master. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I imagine by now that you know about what happened at Punk Hazard." A few veins appeared on Mingo's forehead.

"Unfortunately. I'm not worried, though. I have a plan. Law asked for me to resign from the Warlords in order to get Caesar back. I just contacted CP0. Tomorrow, they'll print it in the newspaper as a false report, then tell everyone afterwards. I'll get Caesar back."

"You'll have to take him back by force. As soon as Law finds out, he's not going to keep his word, since you didn't keep yours."

"Trust me. I intend to take it by force."

"Alright then. The Straw Hat crew is heading there with Law and Caesar in tow now. Even I don't know what's going to happen. I want you to adapt to the situations that they create. After Dressrosa, they're probably going to head to Zou, since it's right on the way. Law wants to become a member of the Brotherhood." Doflamingo started laughing.

"We need to show Aaron, Luffy, and Law that we've made our move already. So here's what's going to happen: Arlong."

"What?"

"I'm going to raise your bounty to 500 million. After all, you can use haki now and have the Wave Wave Fruit. After the bounty raise, we're going to induct you as a Warlord. After all, Law will no longer be accepted as one after what he's going to pull at Dressrosa." Arlong grinned.

"We already have Crocodile on our side. If Doffy loses, then we're going to reinstate him as Warlord. Otherwise, we'll leave him as is. While Dressrosa is going on, I'm going to send out Mihawk to recruit two more members for us: Eustass Kid and Basil Hawkins. Hawkins has already shown interest in us, and I'm sure Kid would be fine with it too."

"Understood." Mihawk responded.

"There's just one more thing." Doflamingo said.

"What?"

"Aaron Hawthorne. Sorry to say, but after what he pulled at Zou fighting you, I'm not sure that I'll be strong enough to defeat him."

"I know that already. That's why I've already taken precautions. When I attacked him during that battle, I injected him with a certain liquid. He couldn't have felt it because the pain from the attack would have already taken over his senses. This liquid is something that I had Caesar develop. It does two things at once: first of all, it speeds up the insanity of Sage's Madness. By the time he gets to Dressrosa, he'll probably already be heavily under its influence and betray his friends in favor of the Order. Secondly, and more importantly, it creates a clone of myself that will reside in his subconscious with his real, uninfluenced personality. If, by whatever reason or chance, he breaks free of the Madness' control, the clone of myself will appear out of his subconscious and begin to fight him in the outside world."

"Is the clone as strong as you?" asked Akainu.

"No, it only has about half of my power. But it will suffice. It's still able to use both devil fruits and both Admiral Transformations."

"I see."

"So are we clear on this Doffy?"

"Yes. I'm gonna have a hell of a time." He chuckled to himself and hung up, making the monitor turn off.

"...Fujitora." Ryokugyu called the Purple Admiral in.

"You called?"

"I did. I trust that you heard everything?"

"Yes."

"Good. I want you to take a Vice-Admiral of your choosing and a full battleship of marines with you to Dressrosa. First of all, I don't trust Doffy. He's psychotic and crazy, and if he ends up using the Birdcage, then we're finished with him. I want you to keep an eye on him, if you can. Secondly, your target will be arriving there shortly as well. The Master Assassin Sabo. If you feel like it, you can fight him to test out his abilities against your own. Either way, watch Doflamingo. And don't worry about Aaron. If things go south with him, my clone will take care of it. Understood?"

"Of course, Grandmaster." Fujitora left the room.

 **X**

"Alright, everyone. Here we are." Law stated. We sailed up to Dressrosa's cliffside. I walked out of my room wearing Ezio's clothes from Rome (Brotherhood). The hood was pulled over my face already, and my Sage's Madness was already activated. As Law was going over the plan, I jumped down from the ship and continued walking towards the city.

"H-Hey! Aaron-ya! Where are you going?! You need to know the plan!"

"Don't worry about me, Law. I'll be just fine." I said with a malicious tone. I kept walking into the city, and grinned psychotically.

 **End.**

 **Wooo! I've officially become psychotic by this point. Yes, so Arlong has the Wave Wave Fruit, the logia for water. Minor detail, but I've decided that each Templar Cross will be a different color for each member that reflects their signature color. Kuma doesn't actually wear a cross, so I don't have to worry about him. Doflamingo doesn't either. Mihawk's is his knife necklace, so it's purely gold. Crocodile's will be Gold and gray tourmaline. Kid's will be Gold and citrine. Hawkins will have gold and white topaz. Arlong's is gold with onyx. Fujitora's is gold with amethyst. Kizaru's will be gold with yellow diamond. Akainu's is Gold with Ruby, and Ryokugyu's is gold with emerald. Like I said, minor detail, but it brings out the uniqueness in each one of their personalities and skillsets.**


	15. Dressrosa

**Okay, awesome. Just read the new bounties after Dressrosa. If anyone's curious, they are as follows: Luffy 500 million, Law 500 million, Zoro 320 million, Usopp 200 million, Sanji 177 million, Robin 130 million, Franky 94 million, Nami 66 million, Chopper 100 (Lol), Brook 83 million. I think these are good amounts, but I'll be doing some tweaking as soon as Zou happens and everyone finds out about the new Templar additions, like Arlong, and Kid and Hawkins, and Crocodile, and Arlong Lol. Everyone seems pumped for his return at a much higher level, and trust me, it's gonna be really good. After Mihawk, he'll be the second strongest Warlord with his powers. I'll be leaving most of the bounties as is, except for Luffy's and my own, obviously. Additionally, after Nami begins to showcase her haki abilities, I'll probably have hers shoot up quite a bit as well. The reason why I like the idea of her having it so much (I've used it in A New Era and The Dark World too) is because if she's going to be the Pirate Queen, she should be pretty strong, right? But anyways, here's Dressrosa. And if it gets confusing when I fight Luffy, just remember that it's Ryokugyu controlling my body. I'm still referring to myself in the first person. Again, let me know about the drawings of Arlong and Ryokugyu, if anyone is interested.**

 **Songs**

 **Walk to Doflamingo's Palace and Slaughtering the Guards: Master Assassin (AC Brotherhood Soundtrack)**

 **Shay's Armor: Hood (AC Rogue Soundtrack)**

 **Birdcage Bounties: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)**

 **Doflamingo's Death and Templar Reveal: A Duelist's Secret Feelings (Yugioh Arc-V OST)**

 **Ryokugyu's Speech and Challenging Luffy: Something to Protect (Yugioh Arc-V OST)**

 **Vs. Luffy round 1: Ultimate Power (Epic Score)**

 **Vs. 4th Gear Luffy: Yasha's Theme (Asura's Wrath OST)**

 **Demon Mode vs. 4th Gear Luffy: Blackbeard (Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Soundtrack)**

 **Vs. 5th Gear Luffy: Bonds (Asura's Wrath OST)**

 **Luffy's Defeat: Vogel im Kafig part 2 (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Vs. Ryokugyu: Attack on Titan (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Ryokugyu Transformation: Xl-Tt (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Final Blows: Yuya's Theme (Yugioh Arc-V OST)**

 **Supposed Victory: Counter Attack-Mankind part 1 (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Ryokugyu's Full Power Transformation: Counter Attack-Mankind part 2 (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Demon Mode Phase 2: Creator of Worlds (Epic Score)**

 **Vs. Golden Bull: Doa (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Vs. Golden Bull-fishman karate: Omake-Pfadlib (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Victory-Dressrosa Freed: Call Your Name (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Quitting the Strawhats: Will of the Heart (Bleach OST)**

 **Deciding to Stay: Here to Stay (Bleach OST)**

I continued to walk up the inclined street, on the way to Doflamingo's Royal Palace.

"Hey, you…" One of the guards stopped me.

"Who are you? This is a forbidden route to the palace meant only for the executives of the Donquixote Family! You have no right to AUGH!" I cut him off my stabbing him in the throat with my hidden blade. Another guard who was near him ran over but before he could aim his rifle at me, I fired my hidden pistol at him, and he fell over. Blood started to drain from their necks, and made a trail down the street that was in plain sight. I smiled and kept walking. Along the way, I came across more and more guards that were stabbed and shot just the same. Finally, I reached the palace and went through. I began to walk to the back where I could see everyone was. One of the executives quickly stood up and pointed a gun at me. Before he could shoot, I was behind him with the gun on the floor and his hands held behind his back.

"Calm down, Gladius, it's only me." I let go of him, and he picked up the gun, then put it away. Doflamingo perked up and glanced back towards me. I walked out onto the patio and saw him sitting on a couch. He grinned and looked at me.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Have you come here to kill me? Aid Straw Hat and Law?"

"I have no intention of doing so. I'm sure you're already aware by now, but the influence of my Sage's Madness has already begun taking over. I'll have already become a Templar before I defeat you. There's no point."

"Hehehe...I suppose that's true. I don't suppose you feel like fighting against your crew, do you?"

"Like I said, I'll become a Templar soon at the rate this is progressing. Especially after what Ryokugyu did to me."

"So you noticed that, did you?"

"His clone's already in my subconscious."

"I see. No wonder why all traces of hope have left you. Hahaha…"

"I suppose it was foolish of me to think that I could take down all of the Templars in this region of the world. I'm not a legendary assassin. I'm strong enough to defeat the Warlords, but the Admirals is where it gets iffy. And Ryokugyu's clearly out of my league. I don't even think Dragon or Shanks could beat him."

"Probably not. Are you ready to become a Templar? I can do the induction ceremony here."

"...Why not?" Doffy led me over into his own room. There was a blank section of the wall opposite his bed. He pushed one of the square stone tiles in, and the wall began to sink down into the ground. Behind it lay something that I thought I'd never find in a million years.

"I-Is that…?"

"Hahaha Hahahaha! You look surprised!"

"What are you doing with Shay's clothes and weapons? How did you get these?"

"Hawkeye found them a while back and Ryokugyu said to leave them here, because Dressrosa is peaceful and untouchable."

"You say that, but for those who know the truth about this country…"

"What, so the Straw Hats will find out and come to kill me?"

"Yes. I know they will."

"You know I'll win."

"Against Law. But maybe not Luffy. He's gotten a lot stronger than you think."

"I know that you've been collecting these armors. I want you to have this one. It's not like I'm going to wear it. It's not my size anyway." I went and changed into it and came back out.

"How does it feel?"

"Comfortable. But strong. Shay was one of the most powerful Templars, so having his gear is a giant boon for me."

"Good. I'm glad you like it. Welcome to the Templars." Doflamingo smirked.

 **X**

"So that's everything. Got it?" Law asked. They all nodded.

"Good. Let's go." They all left towards the town, and Sanji, Chopper, Brook, and Momo walked back onto the ship. Nami was about to turn when Luffy held her shoulder for a moment, stopping her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Be safe." He told her in a serious tone. Nami's eyes widened.

"Of course I will be, why do you even have to tell me?"

"Because I care about you, Nami. A lot. More than the others." he whispered. Nami blushed heavily. Luffy leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek, then ran after the rest of them. Nami held her hand up to where his lips had just touched, and her mouth parted while her cheeks were stained with a light pink.

"Oi, Nami! You coming?" Chopper called.

"Y-Yeah!" She walked up to the ship.

'So he isn't just an idiot after all.' She thought, smiling.

 **X**

"The toys are turning back into humans. I guess Usopp did save them, after all." Doflamingo was clearly enraged.

"They're all going to want to escape now, you know…"

"I won't let them. I'm going to use the Birdcage." My eyes narrowed.

'Ryokugyu…'

'Yeah. I suppose we'll have to kill him after all.'

"I'll pay one hundred million berries for each star rating!" he announced as he gave off the criminal bounties. As he went through them, I stood behind him, wondering if the others would take notice of me at Doffy's side. He finished, and the monitor that he was using disappeared.

"Alright then. Sabo, we're going to have to start- Sabo?" Robin asked. He was staring off into the distance.

"Sabo." Robin said with a firmer tone.

"H-Huh? O-Oh, yeah. Right. Sorry. Let's go." They carried Usopp off and began running from the greedy pursuers that were after the bounties.

'Was that really him? Why was he with Doflamingo, a Templar?' Sabo thought, looking at his own Master Assassin necklace for a moment before continuing on and shaking that thought out of his head.

 **X**

"GOD THREAD!"

"GUM GUM KING KONG GUN!" Doflamingo was overpowered by Luffy's fourth gear, and sent crashing to the ground down in the city.

"D-Damn you…" he said before flying back up at Luffy, who was in the Sunflower Field. Luffy dodged his attack, making Doflamingo tumble onto the ground due to all of the damage he had taken. He turned around and readied himself to go at Luffy again.

"Hmph. Pathetic." I turned the monitors on and began broadcasting all over the world. Ryokugyu's Order Order Fruit made the vision clear through the minds of those who didn't have a monitor to look at.

"H-Huh? Am I seeing Dressrosa right now? Is that Aaron and Luffy?" Nami asked.

"Huh...Aaron and Doflamingo. What's going on?" Big Mom asked herself. The rest of the Straw Hats along with the whole world could now see the battle.

"I WILL END YOU, MONKEY D LUFFY-AGH!" Doflamingo felt blood drip from his mouth. He looked down at himself and noticed a sword sticking out of his chest with blood dripping off of it. He glanced behind me to see me holding the sword and looking down at him with a look of contempt on my face.

"Y-You...bastard...You still have your mind intact?"

"No, I'm afraid the full transformation happened a while ago. I am in control of this body now, Mingo."

"Grandmaster...why?"

"We no longer have a need for you in the Order or in this world. The Templars' aim is to control and lead the world, not destroy it and cause mayhem. I never trusted you from the start. Don't worry, though...we can still achieve our goal without you." I smirked and plunged the sword deeper into his chest, then quickly pulled it out. He spit up blood and fell to the ground. To make sure he was dead, I extended my hidden blade into his heart. After a few moments, his body became still, and I walked over him. Everyone was shocked at this.

"Damn! He just killed Doflamingo, Fujitora sir! We were supposed to capture him too!"

"Don't worry about it. That was a ruse. We meant to do this from the start. Besides, the boss likes to make a showcase of his executions."

"B-Boss, sir? That's Aaron Hawthorne, the legendary pirate and Revolutionary, in case you forgot."

"I know. But he's under Ryokugyu's control right now."

"A-Admiral Ryokugyu sir?!"

"Correct. From now on, that man is our ally, and don't you forget that."

"...A-Alright, sir."

"You didn't have to kill him." Luffy told me.

"But I did. Did you forget that I'm an Assassin, Luffy? I get paid to do this. It's my job." I said while walking around him in a circle. Luffy noticed my clothing and the Templar cross on it. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly attempted to punch me, but I caught it using my observation haki.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" I laughed.

"...What have you done with Aaron?" He asked, his eyes dark. Nami's face turned into one of confusion.

"Have you lost it? I'm right here!" I closed my eyes for a split second before Luffy quickly punched me in the face with a hardened arm and sent me flying backwards.

"L-Luffy?!" Nami yelled. He looked angry.

"Don't play dumb! There's no way Aaron would ever wear something like that! He despises the Templars!" He yelled, pointing furiously at the Templar Cross necklace I was wearing. I slowly got up and wiped the blood away from my nose.

"Hehehehe...Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA! WELL WELL, YOU'RE SMARTER THAN YOU LOOK, BOY!" I yelled with a psychotic grin on my face. Luffy took a step back, noticing that my eyes had changed color from the green and yellow that Sage's Madness normally had to pure crimson red.

"Who are you?!"

"I think you already know the answer to that question already, don't you Luffy?" I asked, creating a golden aura around my fist. His eyes widened, then became enraged.

"Ryokugyu…"

"Correct. Are you surprised? That the Templars were able to get into the mind of your closest friend and ally? Your father and I knew that this would happen, you know. Sage's Madness takes a hell of a person to be able to control it. The last successful Assassin Sage died 500 years ago! What makes you think that Aaron can control it?!"

"Because he's different. His dream is on the same level of insanity as mine! But like me, he'll stop at nothing to achieve it! Because the two of us...WE ARE ASSASSINS." Everyone who was watching became shocked, including Ryokugyu.

"Then why don't you prove it to me? Prove to me that you have the conviction to save your friend. Prove to me that you have the strength to break my control over him!"

"I thought you'd never ask. Second Gear!" Luffy turned one hand into a fist and stretched the other one back into an open palm, making his second gear pose. I placed one hand on my elbow while the other one was raised up before chaos surrounded it. We faced off for a few seconds.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Of course I am!" He charged at me, and I did the same.

"Hey hey, those two aren't really going to fight each other at full power now, are they?!" Zoro yelled, watching the battle.

Luffy hardened his arm and stretched it back, then twisted it.

"Gum Gum Jet Rifle!" I dodged it, making his fist punch a cliff. I swung my sword at him, but he ducked, then punched me in the jaw with his other hardened fist. I jumped back and stood in my place for a moment.

"Interesting...I'm going to have to change your bounty, you're definitely worth more than 400 million. But are you good enough to dodge this?" I lifted my sword above my head, and it began to glow with black energy.

"I-Is that…?" Zoro began. Luffy's eyes widened as I unleashed a wave of energy from my sword. I then shot another one at him that overlapped the other, making a cross shape. Luffy jumped into the air, dodging both of them. I held my hand out and then clenched it into a fist.

"Knight's Blade." The two waves began to flare up, and went after Luffy, exploding in the sky. I watched the boy fall down onto the ground with a loud thud. Luffy stood up slowly. He had a few minor burns on his body and he was bleeding.

"I guess this isn't going to work, is it? Alright. Fourth Gear." Luffy bulked up after biting into his hardened arm and inflating himself.

"There it is." I smiled. Luffy glared at me before mumbling:

"Gum Gum Serpent Cannon." He fired what looked like a regular Gum Gum Pistol at me, so I dodged it.

'What's with the name change, then?' I gasped as the attack redirected and went after me again. I smiled.

"I see…" I used my wind to propel me upwards into the sky. Once again, the fist changed course and flew towards me. Luffy jumped up, still using his attack to go after me.

"Luffy! You seriously think this will work?!" I dodged once again, but this time Luffy retracted the attack and both arms went into his body. He then extended them towards me faster than I could react to.

"Gum Gum Lion Bazooka!" It hit me square in the chest, making me cough up blood. I fell back down to the ground. Luffy went back down too, but continued to bounce using his feet. I stood up, laughing.

"Fourth Gear...Instead of simply inflating your body like third gear, you actually inflate your muscle structure to make yourself much stronger. You're smarter than people give you credit for. But I'm afraid that even this won't be enough. Aaron's still stronger than this form. Demon Mode!" Before Luffy knew it, my hand collided with his face and I threw him into the ground, now in my demon mode form. I shot a blast of haki into the ground after him, making the ground shatter apart. I looked down into the crater, but didn't see Luffy. I began to look around.

"Where have you gone?"

"Gum Gum Rhino Schneider!" I whipped around to see him flying at me with his legs pulled back, ready to double kick me. 

"Chaotic Oblivion Burst." I held my hand out towards him and used my armament haki to repel him slightly, then I shot a beam of chaos at him. Luffy held out his own hands to block it, but he still took damage.

"Gum Gum King Kong Gun!" He screamed as he sent his most powerful punch at me. I sighed.

"Chaotic Oblivion Fist!" I charged up my own most powerful attack and clashed with Luffy. A large explosion engulfed us, but in the end, Luffy was knocked back into the side of the cliff again. He released fourth gear and stood up, panting.

'I've never really noticed until now. Every time he uses Demon Mode, it's on our side, but now that I'm facing it...it's power is extraordinary! I think I'm going to have to use...that.'

"So your full power doesn't work. What are you going to do now, Luffy?" I asked.

"This." He smirked. "Fifth Gear!" My eyes widened.

"Fifth Gear?!" Luffy's body became covered in a golden aura.

'Impossible...that looks just like the Order Order Fruit's powers!'

I charged at him, but he didn't move. He just stood there. I shaved behind him and threw a punch at him, but he moved his head out of the way at the last second. He then appeared behind me before I even saw him disappear.

"Gum Gum Rocket Pistol!" Faster than I could react to, I was sent flying back into the cliff.

"This is more than he bargained for. At least his clone, anyway." Arlong said from atop the royal palace, watching the fight along with Hawkeye.

"We're not supposed to step in. If things go south, he said to forget it and move on. Besides, his possession isn't as strong as the clone. Even if Aaron breaks free, the clone will appear and finish the job."

"I know that already."

"Gum Gum Golden Rifle!" Luffy dashed at me again, this time with a Gum Gum Rifle charged up. I stood up and this time, blocked his attack, although I was blown back a bit. I punched Luffy, then knocked him onto the ground. I placed my foot on top of his face.

"You little bastard. You can't win." I growled.

"Gum Gum Rocket Stamp!" One of his legs extended and kicked me in the face, setting him free. He jumped to his feet and went after me.

"Gum Gum Golden Gatling!" he screamed as he began to throw a barrage of punches at me. Instead of dodging, I began to throw my own barrage of punches back at him, countering each and every blow.

"Damn you!" I screamed at him. He grinned, before knocking me back.

"Gum Gum Golden Rifle!" He smashed me in the stomach, making blood fly out of my mouth and back against the plateau again. He stood there for a moment, expecting me to get up. I stumbled to my feet again.

'A-Arlong!' I communicated telepathically.

'Hm? What is it?'

'I need your help. Although I'll win if I use it, I don't want to reveal Aaron's new form yet. I need you to knock Luffy off guard for just a moment so that I can finish him. Got it?!'

'Of course.' Arlong didn't move from where he was sitting. Mihawk stood next to him, watching him aim at the back of Luffy's chest.

"Don't miss."

"You forget who you're talking to. Although I don't use guns or gun principles that often, I'm a master marksman." Arlong formed his hand into a finger gun while his other hand gripped the wrist, steadying his aim. He closed one eye as if he were looking through a scope.

"Water Pistol." Arlong's index finger formed a small ball of water at the tip before firing off with the sound of a gunshot. The shot was as fast as a sniper bullet, so before Luffy could fully turn around, he was hit through the chest with a water bullet.

"Gah?! ARGHHH!" He clutched his chest and stumbled for a minute before I appeared in front of him and stabbed him with my sword.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

"'LUFFY!" Nami shrieked. I planted my foot on his chest and forcefully kicked him off of the sword and onto the ground. His hand had fallen off of his chest, as he couldn't even move his own body anymore. I bent down and picked him up by his throat. I held him in the air for all to see, dispersing my Demon Mode.

"HeheheheHAHAHAHAHAHA! And so ends the life of Monkey D. Luffy, the 'Second Pirate King'! Luffy's face had gone dark. His mouth was slightly open, and blood was dripping down from it. I extended my hidden blade, ready to stab him in his chest.

"Luffy! Luffy! You can't die! I can't watch this!" Nami screamed.

"Ready to die, kid-huh?" Luffy slowly glanced down at me with a sympathetic face.

"Aaron...I know you're in there…" My eyes widened from inside my subconscious: the real me.

"I...want you to know something...before I die." Tears began to fall down my face.

"If you want to kill me...then that's fine...it's your choice. If you want to become a Templar...then fine. But if you do these things...promise me...that they're your own decision! Promise me...THAT YOU WON'T LET RYOKUGYU CONTROL YOU!" He screamed out.

Tears were streaming down my face in anger. Ryokugyu chuckled.

"Sorry kid, but he's been gone for a while now. You won't reach him. So, I suppose that you have nothing left to give but your life." He pulled his hand back, and quickly began to shove the blade into Luffy's chest, but stopped only a few inches away.

"! What's going on?!" Ryokugyu yelled. They could suddenly hear my voice conveyed through my body.

"NO! I'm not letting you control me anymore! I'm not a Templar! I'M AN ASSASSIN! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A large burst of chaos began tearing around my body, making Ryokugyu drop Luffy onto the ground.

"Get...out...of...my...mind!" I yelled. My eyes were fluctuating from red back to green and yellow.

"Damn you! You're suppose to be finished! You're not supposed to exist anymore! GAHHHHHHHH!" The blast of chaos became blinding, and the others had to cover their eyes. When the explosion had subsided, I stood next to Luffy, panting. Across from me stood Ryokugyu's clone, looking exactly like him. I glared at him angrily.

"Haki Healing." Luffy said, healing himself. He looked at Ryokugyu, then stood up next to me.

"And now the real fight begins." Arlong said.

"I-Is that him, then? The Admiral that beat Aaron?" Usopp asked.

"That's him. I wonder if Aaron will get slaughtered just like before?" Robin asked.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?! You're not helping!" Usopp yelled at her.

"That's him...the same guy as before…"Nami mumbled, glaring angrily at the green admiral.

"Nami, come see this on the real TV!" Chopper called.

"A-Alright, I'm coming!" she walked down to the aquarium, as Franky had recently installed a large plasma screen TV there. She sat on the couch watching along with Brook, Chopper, Sanji, and Momo.

'Please be safe.' she thought.

"H-Him…" Luffy said rather nervously, taking a step back. I noticed this.

"Don't tell me that you're afraid to fight him?"

"And you're not?! He destroyed you last time!"

"This time will be different. I'm much stronger than last time. Plus, I have you fighting alongside me now. Stay back for a minute to understand his fighting style. I'll fight him first." I began to walk towards him.

"How quickly you forget. Remember what happened last time? What makes this one any different?"

"You're only a clone, you're not the real thing. You only have half of the real one's power."

"True, but that doesn't mean that my powers are limited in any way. I have all of the same techniques that the real me has." He activated his Crush Crush powers and smashed the ground around him with his fists. Debris flew around us, but it didn't waver my concentration on him one bit. I activated my chaos powers and charged at him. He began to fight back. We kept throwing punches at each other, some of them missing, others hitting. I pulled out my sword and began to slash at him, still dodging his punches. He gripped my sword and pulled me forward, kicking me hard in the stomach. Blood dribbled down from my mouth onto my chin. I gritted my teeth angrily.

"You were completely outclassed by the real me, and now you can't even stand up to a clone that's only got half of my real power. You're a disappointment. Even more so than the last time." I chuckled, then kicked him back, making him lose his grip on my sword. I spun around and slashed upward, leaving a large upwards cut on the left side of his body. I finished the job with a powerful uppercut that slammed into his chin, knocking him into the air, and making him fall onto the ground.

"Says you. I'm not the same as before." I grinned. "Last time, even after my most powerful attack, you were barely wounded, and didn't even get warmed up. This time, I've already injured you several times, and all with only haki, not even my devil fruit powers, let alone Demon Mode. Even if you are a clone...you've gotten soft."

"Have I now?" He stood up again.

"Haki Healing." He healed the damage that I had already inflicted on him.

"I beg to differ." he growled as he summoned golden spheres around his hand. "Apollo's Judgement: Celestial Punch of Destruction." He lunged at me, but I used my chaos powers and haki to clash with his own fist. I blew him back again.

"Damn you, you have gotten better. That same technique you just brushed off was the same one that killed you last time. Then let's try this one instead. Hyperion's Judgement: Astral Strike of a Thousand Gods!" His fist became coated in golden light, and he charged at me. This time, I went for him too, instead of standing there. This punch had much more power than the last one. The clash seemed to tear the ground apart, and the resulting haki cracked some of the ground even on the lower levels of the plateau. This time, it was a draw. We both stood opposite of each other again. He laughed.

"You've gotten better, but you're still not good enough to defeat me! You were stronger than the first punch and equal to the second. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but by my calculations, the next attack should be stronger than your own."

"Say what?!"

Amaterasu's Judgement: Solar Oblivion of Rebirth!" This time, the golden aura encompassed his whole body in what looked similar to armament haki. He charged at me again, and this time, I activated Demon Mode and fought with him. Unfortunately, I was blown back and he beat me into the ground.

"It looks like I was right. Even in Demon Mode, you can't stop that punch. I have one more for you, my strongest one. It looks like you'll be dying today after all. So long-"

"Fifth Gear! Gum Gum Golden Pistol!" Ryokugyu turned his head towards Luffy, but the attack had already connected with his chest, knocking him away from me. Luffy sped towards him.

"Gum Gum Golden Gatling! Golden Rifle! Golden Axe!" Ryokugyu was getting tossed around left and right by Luffy.

'He still had this much power? What was he so afraid of?' I asked myself. Ryokugyu had had enough.

"Phanes' Judgement: Eradication of the World: Transcendental Extermination of the Supreme Deities!" His entire body, inside and out, bursted full of golden energy. His eyes were glowing white while the aura channeled around him tore through the ground like it was nothing. He leaped at Luffy, who countered.

"Third Gear! Gum Gum Elephant Gun!" He shouted. But it was no use. The moment their attacks connected, Luffy was sent flying back into the cliff.

"Luffy!" I yelled. He slowly got up again. Ryokugyu sighed.

"If I were to keep fighting you like this, it would take forever to kill the both of you. So instead, I'm going to make things interesting. Transformation: Bull of Earth." His body became surrounded by a bright green aura. His power surged, and his body began to glow white. His form changed. Little by little, he grew bigger and bigger. I clenched my teeth.

"Luffy, he's doing it! The Transformation! We have to stop him before he can complete it!" We both flew at him.

"Chaotic Oblivion Barrage Fist!"

"Gum Gum Elephant Gatling!"

"Oh no you don't. Water Cuffs."

"Ggh! What?!" We couldn't move. Our hands were tied behind our back with handcuffs made out of water, and our feet were shackled with the same material as well.

"Who did that?!" I looked around, then used my observation haki to sense their presence. I sensed two very powerful people at the top of the palace. And they were both very familiar. I glanced up, and saw a most unlikely duo standing there.

"Water Gatling." Arlong continuously used both hands to fire multiple shots of water at us. They were all coated in haki, so they pierced us, and hurt like a bitch.

"GRARGHH!" 'He can use haki now?! Damn it!' Before we knew it, Ryokugyu had finished transforming. He stood towering over us as an enormous muscular dark green bull. Steam came out of his nostrils.

"Luffy...are you ready for this?"

"I hope so. Fourth Gear. I'll need a lot of power for this one. He was hard enough to injure before."

"Right. Demon Mode."

"I hope you two are ready. It would be a shame to use this transformation only to kill you after 2 or 3 minutes."

"Go to hell." I told him.

"Gum Gum Kong Gun!" Luffy charged at him with a fourth gear powered punch.

"You think that can stop me? Earthen Hoof Smash." He picked up one of his hooves and moved in to clash with Luffy's own attack. There was a large haki burst that expanded from the collision. Both were thrown back from the assault.

'Hrghh...That attack was stronger than I thought. Hm?!'

"Chaotic Oblivion Kick!" I appeared at his side and kicked him hard, making him fly into the plateau.

"They're better than we thought." Mihawk commented, watching the battle.

"It doesn't matter. The Boss hasn't shown his true power yet anyways." The bull appeared from the debris and charged at us. I grabbed him by the horns, trying to throw him, but he was too strong. He swung around and crashed his back leg into Luffy, who got pinned to the ground. He then charged for the cliff and aimed his horn at it. He impaled me and smashed me into the side of it.

"Aaron!" Luffy called out.

"Gum Gum King Kong Gatling!" Luffy flew at Ryokugyu again and this time demolished the Templar Grandmaster with a barrage of his strongest punches. He kept beating the admiral into the ground with his amazing strength.

"Luffy, it's my turn! Switch off!"

"You got it!" He moved out of the way and I appeared over the giant crater that he had created.

"Chaotic Oblivion Beam!" A beam of pure chaos energy exploded from my hands and made the island itself implode when I fired it into the hole. I landed next to Luffy.

"Think he's dead yet?"

"Only one way to find out." I called down the hole.

"Hey, if you come out now, I'll get Hancock to flash you!" Hancock happened to be watching the broadcast at the time too, and was heavily blushing.

"THAT DUMBASS!" she screamed.

Nami facepalmed, Arlong laughed, and Mihawk nearly fell off of the perch that they were sitting on. Luffy laughed with me. Ryokugyu jumped out of the hole, no longer in his bull form. He was badly beaten.

"I think I'll pass!" He yelled, lunging at me.

"Too bad, buddy, you just missed your one and only chance! Chaotic Oblivion Fist!" I screamed while throwing a powerful chaos and haki fist into his stomach, making the color in his eyes drain.

"Luffy, why don't you do the honors?"

"Got it! Fifth Gear! Gum Gum Golden Rocket Axe!" He happily yelled, jumping into the air and quickly coming down, slamming his foot into the green admiral's head. A large crater formed as Ryokugyu crashed into the ground. When the debris cleared, he was unconscious, and covered in blood.

"We beat him." I remarked.

"...YEAH!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs. I smiled and closed my eyes. My idiot captain will never change. All of my friends breathed a sigh of relief. Sanji lit a cigarette.

"What a team…" he sighed, grinning.

"Yeah…" Nami choked out, tearing up. "I'm glad that they could beat him this time."

"Oh boy. They took him out. Now what?" Arlong asked.

"They didn't take him out. Otherwise the clone would disappear. He's pretending to be dead." Arlong paused for a moment before grinning.

"This is gonna be good." He turned to look back at us, his chin resting on his hand.

"Hey, Lu-" Before I could look at him all the way, a saw a hand plunge through his chest. Luffy's smile turned into an expression of agonizing pain. Everything moved in slow motion.

"L-LUFFY!" Everyone turned back towards the TV again. Nami covered her mouth with her hand before screaming out his name. Ryokugyu forcefully pulled his hand out of Luffy's chest, and started gasping from the damage he had taken. His face was one of absolute anger.

"You damn sons of bitches! I swear that I'll kill you here and now! AHHHHHHHH!" A powerful golden aura encompassed him, and he once again proceeded to transform. His eyes glowed white and his form began to grow in size. I ran over to Luffy.

"Haki Healing!" I yelled, fixing the wound that was inflicted on him.

"Are you alright?!"

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine." he responded, gripping his chest and standing up. We both turned back to see Ryokugyu's green bull form again. But this time, he didn't stop the transformation there. The bull began to glow brightly again, and grew bigger than before.

"So I was right...he does have another transformation beyond this one!" Ryokugyu's bull form changed. It was now bigger than before, and was gold in color. A red Templar Cross was emblazoned on both his left and right sides, made out of pure energy. His tail had split into five different tails, all looking like whips. His eyes were glowing blood red, and his horns had become more curved. He smashed the ground with his hoof and gave us a death stare.

"Luffy. This is it. The final battle, for real this time. We have to win, no matter what. Because if we don't, then he'll kill the rest of the crew, and all of our friends. He'll kill Nami…" I told him in a softer tone. Luffy's face became angry and determined.

"I won't let that happen! Fifth Gear!"

"Demon Mode!" Our full powers all clashed, almost splitting the island apart. The rest of the world could feel our presence. Nami shivered.

"I...I can sense it. His power…" She mumbled.

"You can? That means that your haki abilities are beginning to surface. What do you sense?" She looked at Sanji with a concerned and sad face.

"...That Ryokugyu's power is greater than their own."

"Chaotic Oblivion Fist!"

"Gum Gum Golden Gatling!" We gave him everything we had, but he blew us away with just a shout and a burst of haki. We fell back onto the ground.

"Damn. I don't think this form will be enough, considering how easily he just knocked us back. ...Luffy. Stand back. I'll take care of this." Luffy took a step back, curious as to what I was going to do.

"Time to see if those training sessions with Dragon paid off! **Demon Mode: Phase 2!** " The chaos explosion that engulfed me changed colors. It went from the normal black and purple to silver and blue. When the energy column had disappeared, I stood there in my new form. It looked the same as the previous one, only that my chaos cloak was silver and color, and my eyes had an ocean blue glow to them. I glanced up at the Golden Bull.

"Are you ready to die, then?" I asked.

"You stole my line." He said in a low and malicious tone. There was a moment of pause before Luffy and I both shaved towards him, and he charged.

"Third Gear! Gum Gum Golden Elephant Gatling!"

" **Chaotic Pandemonium: Limbo Kick Disaster!** " While Luffy's attack began to injure him and keep him from moving, I appeared under him and smashed my foot into his chin, sending his head upward. I appeared above him again and slammed down on his skull with such force that his entire body collapsed onto the ground.

"Damn it. Before, they couldn't even scratch me, but now, they're destroying me again!"

"Chaotic Pandemonium: Limbo Blast!" I shot a silver beam of energy at him, which exploded the ground in a column of light. Ryokugyu leaped out of the blast, damaged by it, but still going strong.

"Phanes' Judgement: Golden Laser of Redemption!" He shot a powerful golden beam out of his mouth at us. We dodged it and went back towards him.

"You know what the disadvantage of these transformations is, Ryokugyu?! You may be the most powerful man in the world, but the fact that you're so big is that you're an easy target and you're slow! Now let me show you my final technique. This will kill you."

He gritted his teeth and stood back. I took a fishman karate stance.

" **Chaotic Pandemonium Fishman Karate: Nine Circles of Hell. First Circle: Limbo**." I appeared before Ryokugyu's bull form and smashed my leg into his chest, knocking him back a little bit.

"It'll take more than that to kill me!"

"... **Second Circle: Lust**." This time, I appeared under his stomach and kicked hard, straight up, with my lightning abilities activated. He was sent flying into the air from the sheer force.

'Wh-What is this technique?!'

"That's a new one. He must have learned it recently, he never knew fishman karate of that level when I was with him." Arlong mentioned, enjoying the carnage.

"Me neither. I've never seen that progression of strikes before."

" **Third Circle: Gluttony**." I appeared above him this time. I activated my water powers from within my leg, inflating it in a similar way to third gear. I slammed it down onto the Templar's head, knocking him back onto the ground once again.

"Ah! D-Damn it!" He screamed.

" **Fourth Circle: Greed**." I appeared in front of his face now and spun around, kicking him extremely hard in the face with both haki and chaos abilities activated. He got knocked onto his back.

" **Fifth Circle: Anger**." My body became engulfed in fire, and I encased my fist with the flames. I threw my punch in the air, similar to how Samegawara Seiken works, but this time a massive wave of flames went to incinerate him.

"AHHHH!" After a few seconds, he dispersed the flames using a burst of haki.

" **Sixth Circle: Heresy**." I appeared in front of Ryokugyu and infused chaos into him through a haki powered punch. The impact didn't harm him at first, but then sent out an internal shock wave through his entire body after a moment. All of a sudden, his golden form disappeared, and he was back to his plain old green bull transformation.

"Impossible...I can't be losing to him! I CAN'T!" he screamed out. Luffy grinned and watched the rest of the battle play out.

" **Seventh Circle: Violence!"** This time, my wind abilities propelled me back and forth. I flew all around his body, slashing him each time I passed by. It looked like a windstorm was slicing him up, and blood flew out of him. I appeared above him for the final blow and doubled kicked him hard on the landing. He was once again on the ground.

" **Eighth Circle: Fraud.** " I appeared in front of his head and punched him so hard throughout his body, that the resulting shockwave cracked open his bull form's head, making it go away. The admiral stumbled to his feet, now in his base form. He couldn't even defend himself anymore. His body was covered in blood.

"... **Ninth Circle: Treachery.** " My powers from Demon Mode: Phase 2 surged around me, and I concentrated all of my powers into my fist. It became encased in silver, blue, black, and purple. I looked at him for a brief moment before charging towards him. I plunged my fist through his chest with ease. He spit up blood onto the ground before I pulled my fist out of him.

"You haven't changed...a thing with your power...you were just barely able to beat my clone with only half of my real strength...face it...you can't win…" The clone disintegrated into a pile of mud, that also disappeared. For a moment, everything was quiet, and then I collapsed onto my knees. Luffy ran over.

"Aaron! Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess I'll be fine. It seems pointless to be doing this, Luffy. He was right. It took all I had just to defeat a clone with half of his power. How can I ever hope to beat the real one, let alone stop the rest of them?"

"You're looking at this the wrong way. This was an important step for you! You just proved that you could defeat him, even if was only a clone with half of his strength! Last time, you could barely scratch him. You've become much stronger and more mature than before. Which means that you just need to get stronger in order to defeat the real one. It's not impossible...Haki Healing." Luffy shot a burst of haki into my body, which healed my wounds.

"So you learned how to use it, too…"

"Yeah, Rayleigh taught me. He said that Hancock can use it too."

"She can. You've come a long way yourself Luffy. Fifth Gear was able to go head to head with the most powerful man in the world. You should be proud."

"I'm proud of the both of us. We did it together!" He gave me his stupid sappy grin. I couldn't help but grin back at him. Then, for no reason, we started laughing.

"They're finally back to their old selves, aren't they?" asked Sanji.

"Yeah...thank goodness." Nami cried.

"...We're leaving. Tell everyone to come back to the ship. I don't want to fight someone as powerful as those too. Not yet. We need to prepare more."

"Are you sure, Mama?"

"Yes. Let's just leave them."

"Alright." Charlotte's ship turned around and went the other way.

"Huh? Big Mom's ship just left us." Chopper mentioned.

"I guess she has a heart after all. She's letting us go for now. I'm sure she saw that battle as well." Sanji responded. The snail phone started ringing.

"Straw Hat's ship, Sanji speaking."

"Blackfoot-ya, I know that I wanted you to go ahead, but could you guys come back to Dressrosa?"

"Sure." They hung up.

"Nami-swan, Law wants us to go back to Dressrosa to pick the rest of them up."

"Alright. I'll go do that now, then."

"Aaron, let's go meet the others!" Luffy yelled, jumping down from the level we were on.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." I waited until he was gone, and glanced back up at the top of the palace.

"I trust that you two will take care of Doflamingo's body? Otherwise, Fujitora's men could do it."

"Yeah, we'll take it." Mihawk stated.

"You don't want to fight us, too?" Arlong asked, slightly chuckling.

"...No thanks, I have no strength left to fight the two of you. Besides, today turned out to be a good day after all. Let's not dampen the mood with me dying." I smiled and went after Luffy. Arlong stood up and stretched.

"Alright then, let's go take care of his body."

"Got it."

 **X**

The Thousand Sunny came back into port, and the rest of the Straw Hats walked off. Everyone was bandaged up by Chopper due to the injuries they sustained against the Donquixote family.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled. She ran up to him and tackled him with a hug, crying.

"Nami…hey." She held him as if he would disappear if he let go. She didn't care anymore. The crew would have to learn about their relationship at some point or another. Luckily, everyone else was preoccupied at the moment, except for Aaron, but she didn't really care if he saw or not. Hell, he encouraged them to get together in the first place.

"Nami, are you okay?"

"You idiot! You were going to throw your life away, weren't you?! What would have happened if Aaron hadn't regained control of himself, huh?! You would be in the ground right now!" she sobbed into his shoulder. Luffy put his arms around her with a sad face on.

"Sorry about that. But don't worry, it all worked out. I knew that he would regain control. And plus, we did something more this way. If he had killed me, he'd still be under Ryokugyu's control right now."

"I suppose you're right...but promise me that you won't ever leave me alone, Luffy."

"Nami?"

"Promise me."

"...Alright. I promise. I'll never leave your side."

"Thank you." She took a quick glance around. Even Aaron had gone back onto the ship for a moment, and no one was in sight. They were finally alone. She did something that she had wanted to do for a little while now. Nami leaned in and kissed Luffy on the lips, then parted after a few seconds. It was short, but she put enough of her love into it to hope that Luffy would recognize her feelings for her. He stood there, surprised.

"...Do that again. I liked it." She smirked, and gave him another kiss, this time more passionately.

I watched from the ship and smiled. I looked down at my bags.

'What a shame. They're finally together now, but I won't be able to witness how things go from here…'

 **X**

"Hey, Luffy-senpai!" Bartolomeo yelled, heading back towards the rest of them.

"Hm? Oh, it's you. What is it?"

"New bounties for everyone!" He shouted out, throwing the posters onto the ground. I walked up and took a look, reading them out loud.

"Luffy 500 million."

"500 million, yahoo!"

"Law 500 million."

"Whoop-dee-doo." he said unenthusiastically.

"Zoro 320 million." Zoro smirked.

"Nami 66 million."

"Not again…"

"Usopp 200 million."

"Where did they get that number from?!"

"Sanji 177 million."

"A horrible picture again…damn it." he said, depressed.

"Robin 130 million." Robin just smiled, as usual.

"Chopper 100. Wow. That's just sad." Chopper was face down unconscious.

"Franky 94 million."

"How did I not break 100?!"

"Brook 83 million."

"YOHOHOHO! That's nice, I suppose."

"Where's mine?" I asked.

"Here you go. I saved it for last, Aaron-Senpai!" Bartolomeo told me. He handed me my new poster. The picture had changed once again. It was my pose I took when Luffy and I faced off. I was wearing Shay's armor in the photo.

"How much?" asked Zoro.

"...1 billion 200 million." I said, handing the poster to Luffy. They all looked at it in shock, except for Luffy and Zoro, who understood how much of a threat I was to the marines now. I sighed.

"I suppose that now's as good a time as any...to tell you my plans, Luffy." They all looked at me and became quiet.

I pointed over towards the ship, where my bags were. They looked back, confused.

"I've decided...to leave the crew." They were all silent. Luffy walked forward.

"Why?"

"Because it's too dangerous for me to stay with you guys anymore."

"If this is about your new bounty, don't worry about it. The marines aren't strong enough to take us on, especially after what you and I just pulled."

"That's not what I'm concerned about." I cut him off. "Luffy, I'm worried that I may never gain full control of my powers. If Sage's Madness goes out of control again, I need to be isolated. I can't be near people that are affiliated with the Brotherhood, because I'll end up turning on them, like I did here. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to kill you."

"...You fool."

"What?"

"You heard me. You're a fool. Do you honestly think that after coming so far that you still don't have control over that power?"

"What would you know? You're not like me. You don't understand what it's like to have it. To have this much power. I have all three types of haki, the second most powerful devil fruit in the world, and a power that is only inherited by a bloodline that goes back centuries and centuries. I can't help but be afraid of it. To feel like it could take over at any moment. Do you know why I respect your father so much?"

"...Why?"

"Because he's the only man that I've ever met who is not afraid of his immense strength. Even the most powerful men in the world, Assassins and Templars alike, are still afraid of something: themselves. Hawkeye, Kizaru, Akainu, Shanks, Whitebeard, Rayleigh. Not one of them is invincible. The only man who seems like he is is Dragon."

"...Once again, you're looking at this the wrong way."

"Huh?"

"It's good to be afraid of yourself. You know that I'm afraid of myself too, right?"

"You are?"

"All the time. Because the last person that we ever want to go up against is ourselves. I'm willing to bet that even Dad feels that way. No matter how strong he is, he has some kind of weakness somewhere deep within him, whether it be emotional or physical. And if you're not afraid, then you're a coward."

"That statement contradicts itself, Luffy." I pointed out.

"No, it doesn't. If you're not afraid of yourself, then you're afraid of others. Look at Blackbeard. He was afraid of the Old Man, and killed him acting like a coward. He didn't face him head on. Ace knew Akainu was stronger, but he wasn't afraid to fight him to stand up for what he believed in. To say that you're afraid of yourself is good, because otherwise, you're afraid of others, and that's when you act like a real coward. I'm only going to say this once: join my crew. For real this time."

"..."

"Together, Aaron. Together, we can take down the Templars. How many different places have you been to? How many different friends felt like family, like home?"

"4. 4 different places. 4 different ships and islands that I could call home, but none of them were permanent. They all broke me in one way or another."

"Well, let's fix that." I looked at him.

"This place. The Thousand Sunny. Everyone here thought the same thing as you when they originally left with me. They wondered why they decided to join me. Why they were leaving their home. But after a while, they came around and decided that this is where they belonged. And it's no different for you. You've seen everything there is to see, I'm sure. You've been through many hardships." Tears were now streaming down my face.

"After going through the hells of life, you must have one thing that you've always wanted, right? Just one thing that you wished you could have. Tell me. Do you have one?" I nodded, now on my knees.

"What is it?" I sobbed a few times before looking up at Luffy.

"All I've ever wanted...IS A HOME!" Luffy held out his hand to me.

"Then come with us. You belong on the Thousand Sunny, as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates!" I nodded again.

"Yeah!"

"Alright, everyone! Group hug!" Luffy yelled out. They all tackled me down to the ground, laughing. I laughed with them.

 **X**

"Are you guys ready to go?" Franky asked, aboard the Sunny. Everyone else was on deck in their usual spots.

"Yeah! Let's go! We're off to Zou!" Luffy yelled.

I came and sat down on a barrel near Luffy. I glanced around. Everyone was on deck.

"Hey, guys. Come here." They all walked over and sat down.

"What's up?" Usopp asked.

"You said that you wanted to know my past, my journey through life. I think you're ready now. I'll tell you." Their eyes widened.

"Alright. Here we go. I was born in a small town in South Blue, called Vanden Guard."

 **End.**

 **I just read chapter 802 today. I'm going to fix one thing with that, you'll see what it is in the next chapter. It will be an opening scene, then my past will be the rest of it. I hope you enjoyed this, Dressrosa was big for this story. The other thing that's next...I need Island Name suggestions. After Solacia and Evergia, I have no idea what the other islands will look like, and what they will be called, so I need some help with that. Thanks!**


	16. Aaron's Past: What it's like to Suffer

**New character, her name's Christina, and she's based off of my best friend in real life. Fair Warning, this chapter is the longest one yet. Enjoy!**

 **Songs**

 **Meeting Mihawk: After Eating, Grand Line! part 1 (One Piece OST)**

 **Parents' Death: Luffy vs Ratchet round 2 (One Piece OST)**

 **Grieving: Omake-Pfadlib (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Waking Up: Scene of a Disaster (Naruto Shippuden OST)**

 **Joining the Sun Pirates: AC Rogue Main Theme (AC Rogue Soundtrack)**

 **Infiltrating Mariejois: Venice Fight (AC2 Soundtrack)**

 **Vs. Christina: Heat of the Battle (Bleach OST)**

 **Questioning Christina: A Requiem (Bleach OST)**

 **Leaving with the Boa Sisters: Florence Escape (AC2 Soundtrack)**

 **Aaron and Christina vs. Guards and Escape from Mariejois: Venice Escape (AC2 Soundtrack)**

 **Arlong's Capture: Luffy vs. Ratchet Round 2 (One Piece OST)**

 **Marineford Tour & Asking Warlords: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)**

 **Killing Celestial Dragon: Luffy vs Ratchet Round 2 (One Piece OST)**

 **Akainu Arrives: Jedi Temple March (Star Wars Soundtrack)**

 **Vs. Akainu: Duel of the Fates (Star Wars Soundtrack)**

 **Losing to Akainu: Cometh the Hour Part 1 (Bleach OST)**

 **Dragon vs. Akainu & Escaping: Mystogan's Theme (Fairy Tail OST)**

 **Kuma's Betrayal & Facing Off: Powerful Enemies (One Piece OST)**

 **Vs. Kuma: Don't Speak Her Name! (Fire Emblem Awakening Soundtrack)**

 **After the Battle: At Our Parting (Sword Art Online OST)**

 **Aftermath of Kuma: Take Care Kid (Black Mass Soundtrack)**

 **Joining Shanks: Rittaikidou part 1 (Attack on Titan OST)**

"You want to explain why I was cheated out of my position as a warlord? Crocodile's already been reinstated to take Doflamingo's place, but Law's was taken by this so-called son of Whitebeard, Edward Weeble. You said it was going to be me!"

"And I'm sure it will be. Think of this as a final test that I put together for you. As a matter of fact, this Edward Weeble and his mother are causing us a lot of trouble. He plans to take out the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates to prove that he's the one and only son of their legendary captain."

"And that's a bad thing? Marco's got a pretty large bounty on him, you know."

"Of course he does. But Weeble's going out of his way to kill innocent people just to prove a point that may or may not be true. We don't know for sure if he's Whitebeard's son or not, but the fact is that he's abusing his position as a warlord. Frankly, I couldn't care less if he were killed. And that's where you come in. Go take care of them for us."

"A test, huh? Alright. I'll be back in a few hours." He left.

 **X**

"Vanden Guard? That's not a place I've ever heard of before." Nami mentioned.

"It's a small colonial style town in South Blue. Not many people know about it. I was born and raised there. I lived there for 14 years."

"This is a boring way to tell a story." Luffy said, bored.

"Fine! Have it your way!" I said, irritated. I opened up a sphere of chaos that formed a bubble around everyone. They blacked out.

"...H-Huh? What happened?" asked Luffy. They were all standing in what looked to be a town.

"We're going to relive my memories instead. It's a more interesting way to do things, don't you think?" I said, standing next to everyone.

"So we get to see how everything actually happened? How is this possible?" asked Robin.

"Through the power of chaos, I can influence people's minds to hallucinate."

"So this is a hallucination?" asked Sanji.

"Yes. Right now, we're all sitting back on the Sunny as if nothing happened. But I should warn you, although this is a more effective way to do this, it's also a more painful way to relive my past. Be ready." They nodded. All of a sudden, they saw a boy walk down the street, carrying a few bags. He entered a house.

" _Mom, Dad, I got the groceries like you asked!" I placed them on the table._

"Is that you?" asked Law.

"Yes. I was 8 years old on this day."

" _Oh, thank you for doing that. Your father and I are going out to meet a few friends. Would you like to come with us? They have a son that is your age."_

" _Well, alright. I suppose so." We walked down the street to go and meet the family._

" _Ah, there you guys are!"_

" _Diana! Ray! Good to see you!"_

" _You as well, Mike. Emma." The man acknowledged my parents. Standing next to the two of them was a young boy, my age and the same height as me. He had slick black hair, wore an auburn coat, gray pants, and had a wooden sword strapped at his side._

" _This is our son, Dracule."_

" _Nice to meet you. This is our own son, Aaron. They are the same age." We walked up to each other and shook hands._

" _Nice to meet you."_

" _The pleasure's all mine."_

" _Why don't we continue on the way to the harbor? The boys can get acquainted along the way." We kept walking, and I hung back with Dracule._

" _So...can I call you Dracula?"_

" _No."_

" _You're no fun." I pouted._

" _My name is spelled with an 'e' at the end. It would no longer be my name anymore, would it?"_

" _I suppose not. Why did you bring a sword with you?"_

" _Because I am a swordsman. I train with it everyday. My dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman someday."_

" _That's some dream."_

" _But that's the point. The bigger the hurdle, the more satisfying it is when you leap over it."_

" _Yeah."_

" _What about you? Do you have any dreams?"_

" _...Not that I can think of-wait. Yes, there is one. When I'm older, I want to be an Assassin, like my father. I've always looked up to him for it. It's the coolest job!"_

" _Killing people for political reasons is cool?"_

" _Not that part. He doesn't go on assassination missions that often. He's more of an informant. He handles the more undercover, stealthy kind of missions."_

" _I see...I like you. You're different from other people. When you say that you want to be an Assassin, they usually want nothing to do with you. But you...I sense something within you. Something strong. Something...powerful."_

" _Hm…" The scene changed. It was nighttime now._

"Mm…" I muttered, looking away.

"When was this?" asked Law.

"About a year later." We walked up towards the house and peered in. Everything seemed normal, until…

 _There was a knock at the door. My father went to answer it, but as he started to turn the knob, the door was kicked into him, sending him flying across the house._

" _Mike!" My mother screamed. She grabbed me and held me tight. I looked towards the door to see two men standing there. One was wearing a hood while the other had a fedora on his head. They both had white cloaks draped over their shoulders, signifying their position as a high-ranking marine soldier._

" _You take the woman." The one with the hood said. He had a more sinister tone to him, while the other sounded more relaxed._

" _Are you sure? She's not one of them, you know."_

" _All blood ties should be cut off. Including spouses."_

 _*Sigh* "Alright." The relaxed one walked over to my mother and I. She got up and stood in front of me with her arms spread._

" _If you want my son, you'll have to go through me first!"_

" _Fine by me." He smiled. My eyes widened, and before I could do anything, he shot my mother through the chest with a piercing beam of light._

" _M-MOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!" She smiled weakly at me, blood staining her chin and clothes before she collapsed onto the ground and bled out._

" _Emma!" My dad called out, and tried to run towards me._

" _I don't think so. You're not going anywhere. You're a Master Assassin, so we need to have you dead, you see." The other man grabbed my father by the throat and shoved him against the wall. My father tried to break free by punching the man with a haki-hardened arm, but it didn't work, as the man simply caught the punch._

" _You fool." He punched him over and over again in both the chest and stomach, staining the entire room with dark red blood. When he was finally finished, he let go and my father's body slid down the wall, leaving a large streak of blood._

" _Aaron...don't be afraid, my son. I know that you'll do great things one day." he choked out._

" _He's still alive. How annoying." The man turned around and walked back up to him._

" _Meigo." His fist melted into magma, and he smashed it through my father's chest, causing blood to pour out uncontrollably onto the floor, and left a large burn mark along with a lasting fire in the wound. The man then walked away as my father's body fell limply onto the ground. The other one turned to me._

" _Should we take care of the boy, too?"_

" _No. I'm not so heartless as to murder a mere child." The fire from my father's wound caught onto the furniture and began to spread throughout the house, burning it to the ground. The other two picked me up and brought me outside, leaving me there to watch the flames and my childhood burn to cinders. They began to walk away._

" _...Wait." They stopped and looked at me._

" _What are...your names?"_

" _Our names? Why do you want to know that?"_

" _So that one day I can find you, and finish this fight." The magma man chuckled._

" _I look forward to it. Vice Admiral Sakazuki."_

" _Vice Admiral Borsalino." said the other one._

" _What might your name be?" the latter asked._

" _Aaron. Aaron Hawthorne."_

" _Well, nice to meet you. It's been a pleasure." they said maliciously, as they both walked away and disappeared from sight. I turned around and watched the flames burn my house._

" _I can't leave them in there!" I ran back in to find a sight that was absolutely horrid. Now looking back at them from this perspective. I fell to my knees, seeing my father and mother lying on top of each other, dead. Their blood had expanded into a pool that took up half of the room. I fell to my knees, and stared blankly at their bodies. My father had a bloodied hole through his chest, while my mother had multiple holes through her from Borsalino's attacks. Tears began to fall from my face as the flames consuming the house considered to dance around me._

" _...WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I blacked out._

" _...Huh?" I woke up and looked around. This wasn't my house. This was the Mihawk family's house._

" _How did I get here?" I wondered out loud. Just then, Dracule walked in._

" _Dracule."_

" _Hello, Aaron. I see you're awake. You were out for 2 days. I...I'm sorry about your parents." I looked down._

" _So it wasn't a dream…"_

" _I'm afraid not."_

" _I have to go get back at them. Sakazuki and Borsalino. They killed my parents!"_

" _And they'll destroy you in an instant. They're both logia devil fruit users, and Vice-Admirals. You don't stand a chance. If you're going to go out, you need to know how to handle yourself." I looked at him in a questioning glance._

" _I'm going to teach you swordsmanship."_

" _Why? Do you want me to get back at them?"_

 _"I do. Your parents were good friends of my own, and we need to stop those two, however long it may take."_

 _ **X**_

 _Five years had passed since that day. Mihawk and I were fourteen years old, and we were both elite swordsmen in our own right. After training for that day, I walked back to Mihawk's house. I had been staying there since my own burned down._

" _Pirates! It's the Sun Pirates!" someone yelled from the port. I walked over to see someone walk off of the ship. He was tall, had black hair, and wore a dark red captain's coat over his shoulders. He walked into the town, so I decided to follow him. He then walked into a convenience store. I leaned against the wall outside, listening in. Mihawk and I had practiced both our swordsmanship and stealth capabilities over the last five years. We were much stronger than before, but I wasn't strong enough yet to fight the legendary Fisher Tiger on par, if that's who he was. That guy in the harbor claimed that it was the Sun Pirates, so if he was the captain… he then walked out, carrying a few boxes. He began to walk past me, but stopped._

" _You need something, kid?"_

" _Why is someone as powerful and famous as you in a small town like this?"_

" _I was just stopping to restock for the next island. So you know who I am?"_

" _Fisher Tiger, right?"_

" _That's me. Walk with me, why don't you?" I followed him down towards his ship._

" _How old are you?"_

" _Fourteen."_

" _I noticed that you carry a sword at your side. Your parents let you train at such a young age?"_

" _...My parents have been dead for five years now."_

" _...I'm sorry. You have my condolences, for what they're worth."_

" _Thank you."_

" _You have the look of someone who has seen hell at a young age. May I ask how they died? If you don't want to, I understand-"_

" _They were killed right in front of me by Vice Admirals Sakazuki and Borsalino." His eyes widened._

" _You don't say? I'll be damned. Was your father by any chance...Michael Hawthorne?"_

" _That's him. You knew him?"_

" _I knew of him. He was a member of the New World Assassin Brotherhood, a Master Assassin. The reason why Sakazuki and Borsalino attacked your family specifically is because that they're Templars."_

" _Templars?"_

" _Ever heard of them?"_

" _Vaguely. My father told me a little bit about them, but not that much. How do you know about them?"_

" _I'm an associate of the Brotherhood's. There are some pirates who support the Brotherhood's actions, but are not officially Assassins. People like myself and Whitebeard."_

" _I see…"_

" _Aaron. I have a proposition for you. You're going to set out to go after Sakazuki and Borsalino at some point, right?"_

" _Yeah. But I need more experience."_

" _Well there's no better way to get that experience than in the field. Why don't you start now and sail with us?"_

" _But wouldn't that defeat the purpose of your crew?! I thought that humans weren't allowed on a Fishmen-only pirate ship."_

" _I can make a special exception for you because of what you've been through, and because your father was an ally of mine. What do you say?"_

" _...You're right. I need that experience, and by this point, there's not much more that I can do here, especially since my friend and mentor is going to set out to sea soon as well. I'll go with you. But are you sure that your crew will be alright with it?"_

" _Eh, I'll bring them around."_

" _Okay then. I'll go pack my things."_

 _ **X**_

" _What do you mean you're joining the Sun Pirates?"_

" _I mean I'm joining the Sun Pirates. I can't make it any simpler than that."_

" _But how?"_

" _Fisher Tiger invited me."_

" _Come again?"_

" _He knew my parents, and after I told him what happened, he invited me to join him. I said yes. And that's everything that happened."_

" _...Well, good luck, I guess. I'll see you out there when I can."_

" _Alright then. I have a mini snail phone on my wrist anyways. You have one too, right?"_

" _Yes. So call me whenever you feel like you need to."_

" _Alright then. Thank you, Mihawk. For everything."_

" _No problem. It's fun having a rivalry with you as well."_

" _Heh." I walked out and headed down to the Sun Pirates' ship. Fisher Tiger had already convinced his men, as some were shouting and waving towards me, except for two of them. One was big, and wore a green and black spotted shirt. He had a gray cloak over his shoulders. His hair was short, and was half black and half yellow. Although he wasn't waving, he did give me a warm smile. He seemed like my kind of guy. The other one, on the other hand, didn't look too thrilled about my arrival. He had long black hair and wore a hat on his head. He had a saw shaped nose, and was pretty muscular. He wore a dark purple tank top, and black pants. He gritted his teeth slightly and had an irritated expression on his face when I looked at him._

' _Well he's just a ray of sunshine now, isn't he?' I thought. I walked up onto the ship. The big guy from before walked up and introduced himself._

" _I'm Jinbei. Nice to meet you, Aaron."_

" _The feeling's mutual." I shook his hand._

" _How pathetic." I glanced over at the other one who didn't look too friendly._

" _Oh, leave it alone. I have a feeling that this will finally change your mind about humans." Jinbei said._

" _And you are?" I turned to him._

" _Name's Arlong."_

" _Well, it's nice to meet you."_

" _Hmph."_

" _I take it you don't like humans?"_

" _What gave it away?"_

" _Any particular reason why?"_

" _If you want me to tell you, you'll have to earn my trust, and that takes a lot to do."_

" _Heh. Alright. I'll take that challenge on." The man grinned slightly._

" _Maybe you're different...I like your attitude."_

 _ **X**_

 _It had been about a year since I joined. I had gained the trust of all of the fishmen by this point, even Arlong, though it took a while longer than the others. After dinner that night, the captain called everyone out onto the deck._

" _What's up?" I asked him. I had changed my appearance since leaving my hometown. I wore a white t-shirt and gray pants. My hair was longer, and I was equipped with a silver rapier on my right side, and a cleaver on my left side._

" _I've been dropping hints here and there, but now I'm seriously thinking about raiding Mariejois and freeing the slaves there. We're about to cross over the Red Line, after all." A few people began mumbling._

" _Any thoughts? Yes or no?" Everyone was quiet for a while. Even Arlong and Jinbei weren't sure about this one._

" _...I say we do it." I suggested. Some of them gasped, and they all looked at me. The Captain looked at me questioningly._

" _You know, I only take Arlong's side on killing humans only when they actually deserve death. And at the very top of the list is the Celestial Dragons. Those sons of bitches deserve death more than anyone else in this world. So I say that it's time that they get what's been coming to them for years."_

" _...Alright then! Let's do it! The first raid on Mariejois in history!" Everyone cheered._

" _Aaron!"_

" _What is it?"_

" _I have something for you. Here." He reached from his pocket and handed me what looked like a black and purple devil fruit with swirls and vortexes on it._

" _A devil fruit?" I asked._

" _Not just any devil fruit. I take it you've read about all of the Pieces of Eden by now, right?"_

" _Yes." I had been studying the Brotherhood and Order with them over the past year._

" _Do you know what devil fruit this is?"_

" _Chaos-Chaos Fruit. But how did you get your hands on it?"_

" _I stumbled onto it by chance on an island a while back. But I haven't given it to anyone yet, because most don't have the physical or mental capacity to use its power. In the end, their own strength swallows them up and they die. Even I don't think that I'm worthy. But I wonder if you are. I can sense a lot of dormant power within you. I want you to eat it."_

" _You want me to eat one of the most powerful Pieces of Eden out there? The Chaos Chaos Fruit has the logia powers of fire, wind, lightning, earth, water, and chaos."_

" _I know. And if you can control the powers, it will be a great boon to us in the raid."_

" _...Alright, I guess." I took it from him and bit into it. A lot of them started sweating, becoming nervous as to if I would survive or not._

" _Fair warning, devil fruits are supposed to taste terrible-" Arlong began._

" _It tastes good." Everyone fell over. I finished the rest of it. After a few minutes, nothing happened._

" _So I guess I can handle it, then?"_

" _I guess so!" Tiger smiled. "Almost no one is able to withstand that devil fruit, you know. It means that you're special."_

" _Well good for him, but why did it taste good?" asked Jinbei._

" _Devil fruits normally taste awful, but I read that the most powerful ones are exceptions, and taste good."_

" _So try doing something." Arlong mentioned. I tried to summon any one of the elements, but it didn't work._

" _Are you sure that you're strong enough to use the fruit's powers?" Arlong taunted._

" _Well I'm not dead yet, am I? Clearly, I have the capacity to learn how to use it." I shot right back at him._

" _Give it some time. Sometimes devil fruit powers are only unlocked when the user is under pressure. Perhaps it will awaken during the raid." Tiger responded._

" _Alright…"_

 _ **X**_

" _Alright. Let's go." Tiger, Myself, Jinbei and Arlong all left the ship and infiltrated Mariejois. The rest of the crew stayed on the ship for lookout._

" _Let's split up here. Aaron will head to the North Tower, I'll go to the South, Arlong to the West, and Jinbei to the East." We all went our separate directions. As I continued, I suddenly noticed something rush past me. I glanced ahead of me to see someone running towards the same place I was heading._

" _Hey, you! Hold on a second!" She stopped and turned towards me._

" _Who are you?" But before I could get a clear answer, she fired took out a bow and fired an arrow at me._

" _Woah, what are you doing?! I said to just hold on for a second!" I screamed, dodging her arrow. It pierced the ground with a lot of force. My eyes narrowed._

' _She's using haki…' I had learned how to utilize my own haki, all three types over the past year, but I hadn't gained full mastery over it yet._

" _Shave!" The captain also knew the techniques of the Navy from experience, and taught them to me: Moonwalk, Finger Pistol, Shave, Iron Body, Tempest Kick, Paper Arts, and even the Six King Gun, which is a secret technique. Unfortunately, she knew them as well._

" _Iron Body." As I aimed a punch for her face, she made no movement whatsoever, and took the hit head on._

" _What?"_

" _Tempest Kick." She kicked my stomach hard and unleashed a wave of energy at the same time. I got blasted back onto the ground and coughed up blood._

" _Hragh...Damn you…"_

" _Shave." She mumbled, before appearing before me._

" _Finger Pistol." She started thrusting her fingers towards me, all coated in armament haki._

" _P-Paper Arts!" I moved back and forth, dodging all of her strikes._

' _Who is this girl?! She's strong!'_

" _Six King Gun."_

' _! She knew that technique, too?!'_

" _Iron Bod-"_

 _BAM. She placed one fist over the other and blasted an enormous wave of haki through me. I fell to my knees, refusing to give up. Blood was dripping from all over my body. I glanced up at her. She looked down at me sadly._

" _The moon is shining bright tonight."_

" _W-Wha-?"_

" _Moonlight Pillar." She held out her palm. The moon began to shine brightly, as did her hand. For the first time, I saw her clearly. She wore tall black boots and black yoga pants, a red shirt and black leather short jacket, and a black hooded open cloak over everything. Her dark brown hair flowed under the moonlight. For a brief moment, her clothes changed into a pearlescent silver dress. My eyes widened before a pillar of the moon's energy erupted from the sky and engulfed me, creating a large explosion. There was a pause before I fell forward and a puddle of blood began to ooze onto the ground. She turned around and began to walk away, before…_

" _Where the hell do you think you're going?" She gasped and turned around, finding me face to face with her. As she pulled a knife from her side and lunged at me, I grabbed her arm and subdued her._

" _Start talking. Who are you?"_

" _Hrghh...Go to hell!"_

" _You should rethink your answer. Remember that I'm the one with the knife at your throat right now."_

" _...Christina. My name is Christina."_

" _What are you doing here?"_

" _Saving some friends of mine that are slaves." I let go of her._

" _Good. Then stop trying to kill me, and start trying to kill the Celestial Dragons. We're after the same thing."_

" _Sorry, but if you weren't able to beat me, I don't think you have the strength to take on Mariejois."_

" _Is that what you think? I did defeat you. I healed all of my wounds using haki, and I have 6 different logia powers. You tell me if I'm not strong enough." I let go of her, and she slowly stood up._

" _If I'm truly not strong enough, then fate will determine that I'll die here. But I don't usually believe in fate, so I say we just go for it and see what happens!"_

' _...This guy…'_

" _Alright then. I guess you and I will work together. What's your name?"_

" _Aaron. Aaron Hawthorne."_

" _I've heard of you. My father told me about you. A little boy who swore vengeance against two vice-admirals for killing his parents in front of him."_

" _That's me. Who's your father?"_

" _Vice-Admiral Sakazuki."_

" _WHAT?! SINCE WHEN DOES HE HAVE A DAUGHTER?!"_

" _Since 15 years ago. I'm the same age as you. What? Having second thoughts? Want to kill me because I'm related to your worst enemy?"_

" _No. Everyone is their own person. Just because you're related to Sakazuki doesn't mean that you've done anything wrong." I started running towards the palace again, and she followed me._

" _But I almost killed you just a few minutes ago! Isn't that reason enough?!"_

" _But you stopped and joined me after I told you what I was doing. So you're different. Do you like your father? He works over at Marineford. I suppose that would explain how you know the 6 hidden techniques of the Marines, but to be taught at such a young age...On top of that, why are you here, at Mariejois, on your own, let alone saving slaves and going against the Celestial Dragons? It only proves even further that you're not allied with your father. If my Captain will allow it, I recommend that you join our crew, the Sun Pirates."_

" _Hmm...Maybe I'll take you up on that offer. But for now, let's keep going."_

" _Right. Do you know where your friends are being held? What are their names?"_

" _They're being held in the North Tower. They're names are Boa Hancock, Boa Sandersonia, and Boa Marigold."_

" _What a coincidence. I'm supposed to head there anyways. Let's go find them, then!" We continued to run towards the tower._

" _I can sense that you haven't yet unlocked any of your Logia powers, have you?"_

" _No, not yet. You unlock them under great pressure."_

" _I see. Are you hoping to unlock them here, then?"_

" _Yes. Or at least that's the plan." Three large consecutive explosions engulfed the other three towers._

" _W-What was that about?!" Christina yelled._

" _That's where my other three friends are. They each took a tower on themselves. Which means that we're the last ones. We have to hurry. And it means that I have to…Fire Fist!" I blasted a wave of flames at the wall, exploding it and giving us an entrance. We ran through again._

" _I thought you said that you couldn't use any logia powers yet?"_

" _I guess I lied. It just sort of happened. So maybe it's not when I'm under pressure, but when I have to accomplish a goal, no matter what." I produced a flame from my hand._

" _Let's go find these friends of yours." We ran to each and every jail cell and room, freeing the slaves along the way._

" _Oh! There they are!" Christina yelled and pointed over to three girls that were hiding in the corner. There was a Celestial Dragon pointing a gun at them. I walked up to them and tapped them on the shoulder._

" _Huh? Who-?" As soon as they turned around, I punched them clean across the face, breaking their helmet and knocking them against the wall and unconscious. The sisters became slightly relieved. I looked over at them._

" _Come on, girls. We're here to save you."_

" _W-Who are you?" they asked as I took them by the hand. I pointed over to Christina._

" _Recognize your friend over there? I'm with her."_

" _N-No. I've never seen her before." The one with black hair answered. I looked over to her, frustrated._

" _I thought you said that you were their friend?"_

" _I may have exaggerated a little bit. I've only heard about them from some of the Celestial Dragons. The Boa Sisters, the ones who are the personal charmers and sex toys for the Celestial Dragons."_

" _Knowing that doesn't make you their friend! They've never met you before!" I yelled at her._

" _Well excuse me for being optimistic! With my devil fruit powers, I'm practically a goddess! Who_ _ **wouldn't**_ _want to be friends with someone like me?!" There was a pause, then I looked away and led the girls outside._

" _You're not excused."_

" _I beg your pardon?! Have you any idea in that simple little head of yours who you're speaking to?! I'm the daughter of a Vice-Admiral!"_

" _Oh, look. This is how much I care." I told her with a bored expression on my face._

" _YOU'RE TERRIBLE!" She yelled at me with classic angry white anime eyes._

" _There's no time for this. We need to get these three back to my ship. Let's go." We started running back towards the ship._

" _By now, I'm sure that everyone else is already back at the ship. By the way, I wanted to ask about the power of your devil fruit."_

" _It's called the Moon Moon Fruit. As the name suggests, I can utilize the rays of the moon as a weapon. It's a logia type."_

" _What about during the day time? It seems like a huge disadvantage to only be able to fight during the night."_

" _Well as you saw earlier, I already possess all three types of haki, like you. And I'm able to create temporary artificial moons to be able to use my powers."_

" _Where did you get it? A 15 year old girl like you shouldn't be able to get their hands on a logia devil fruit that easily."_

" _You're one to talk. Your devil fruit is one of the most powerful in the world, how did you get it at only 15?"_

" _My captain gave it to me? What's your excuse?" I asked with half lidded eyes._

" _...I stole it from Marineford." She muttered with a flushed face._

" _...That would make you an enemy of the navy, and a traitor at that, considering that you're the flesh and blood of a Vice-Admiral."_

" _I know. Thank you, Captain Obvious."_

" _You get on my nerves." I looked away._

" _Uh, guys? STOP ARGUING! THERE'S GUARDS SURROUNDING US RIGHT THIS MOMENT!" yelled Hancock._

" _Oh hey, you're right. Give us a second." We both walked forward and unleashed a wave of conqueror's haki, knocking all of the guards unconscious._

" _Okay, that was short-lived. Now let's…" I looked over at the Boa sisters. Two of them were unconscious. Only Hancock was still aware of what happened._

" _Uh… We have to carry them, Christina."_

" _I see that." We each carried one of them, while Hancock still ran alongside us._

" _This is all your fault! You need more control over your haki!" she yelled at me._

" _That's my line! You're only 15! Of course you don't have control over your haki yet!"_

" _So are you! You have the same weakness that I do!"_

" _Says you! I'm stronger!"_

" _No you're not! My devil fruit makes me a goddess!"_

" _Gods and Goddesses are myths! You're not a goddess!"_

" _I beg your pardon?!" We finally got to where the ship was docked, still butting heads and yelling at each other. The rest of the crew looked up to where we were._

" _Well that took you fucking long enough!" Arlong yelled up at us._

" _Shut up! Here! Catch!" I yelled back at him and we tossed the three girls down at them. By now, the other two were awake and they were all screaming from our reckless action of throwing them at such a high height. Of course the crew did catch them, but they were really mad, yelling back up at us._

" _Who's the girl?" asked Jinbei._

" _I'm-" she began._

" _Nobody important." I cut her off. She glared at me._

" _What's your god damned problem?!"_

" _Oh, I'm the one with the problem?!"_

" _Grrr..WOULD YOU TWO SHUT THE HELL UP AND GET DOWN HERE BEFORE WE GET CAUGHT?!" Tiger yelled at us. We stopped and blinked at him._

" _Me first." Christina got ready to dive into the water._

" _H-Hey! Hold it! You're a devil fruit user, moron! You can't swim, you'll drown!"_

" _I told you that I'm practically a goddess! I'm pretty sure that I can fucking swim!"_

" _THAT'S NOT HOW DEVIL FRUITS WORK, YOU IDIOT!" But it was too late. She had already dived into the water._

" _That idiot!" I dived in after her and pulled her out onto the ship. We set sail afterwards. She gasped for air._

" _I guess I can't swim after all."_

" _NO SHIT!" Everyone yelled at her._

" _Then how can you swim?" She looked at me. "You ate a devil fruit too."_

" _I'm special."_

" _So am I!"_

" _Not as much as me!" We started arguing again until Tiger both punched us apart._

 _ **X**_

" _Do you have any place to return to?" I asked Christina after we brought all of the slaves off back at their homes. We had just left the island where Koala lives, after dropping her off._

" _Well...not anymore, I guess. I can't go back to Marineford obviously, after what we pulled."_

" _Why don't you stay with us? Become a member of the crew full time."_

" _But…"_

" _But nothing. You don't have a home to return to, and you've already proven to us that you're both strong and smart. You're able to navigate exceptionally, know your way around guns, have excellent melee skills with your haki, and have a powerful logia devil fruit as well. That's the first part. The second is that even though you and I fight a lot, and that you have an attitude, we all see you as a true friend. You're someone who deserves a home, Christina. And what better place than here?"_

" _A-Are you sure? Wouldn't that ruin the point of the crew? The Sun Pirates are known for being a fishmen only crew!"_

" _Well, look at me. It's been over a year since I joined up, so what's one more human? And even Koala was with us for a few months. So if you leave now, it won't be the same. You're already a part of this crew." I smiled at her. She stood there, surprised for a few moments._

" _Is that okay with you, Captain?" I yelled over to Tiger._

" _Sure. But no more. Just you two." He smiled at us._

" _I have a feeling that we're going to be unstoppable together."_

 _ **X**_

" _Captain!" Everyone was yelling and crying at the sight of their dying captain. Christina and I stood on the side, watching on in shock. After we left from Koala's home island, the marines ambushed us and injured the Captain to the point of fatal injury._

" _Captain! We have some human blood that we could transfer into you! You're going to be fine!"_

" _No! I don't want it!"_

" _B-But Capt-"_

" _I SAID NO! I don't want any blood tainted with human anger towards us in my body! It's too late for me now… I have one last thing to tell all of you, as your captain."_

" _W-What is it?" They were all crying at this point._

" _I was… a slave!"_

" _W-What?!"_

" _What I saw there was the insanity of humans...I fled for my life, but I couldn't just forget about all of the slaves held captive there! Listen carefully. I did everything things the way I wanted...and ended up interfering with Queen Otohime as a result. But...she is right! Everybody wants peace! But the only people that can make a difference on that island are children of the next generation like Aaron, Christina, and Koala! So please...don't tell the people on the island anything! Neither the tragedy we endured nor of our anger towards humans!"_

" _Grrr...B-But Brother Tiger-"_

" _ARLONG!" I glanced over at him. "There are so many humans who are compassionate! I know! But it's funny. The dying leave only their resentment behind. And even though I know that there are kind humans, there is a devil in my mind that is clouding my thoughts. My whole body rejects their blood! I can't...accept humans!" At this point, both Christina and I were crying._

" _Boss! Don't say such a thing and live! I beg you! You don't have to die!" Jinbei yelled._

" _Boss! No matter what you say, you are the greatest benefactor for all of those slaves that you freed! You're a hero to all Fishmen, who accomplished such a great feat!"_

" _I'm so happy...that I could travel around with people such as you…" And just like that, he was gone._

 _ **X**_

" _Where's Arlong?" I asked Jinbei angrily._

" _I don't know…" Some of the fishmen were watching TV. It had been about 4 months since the death of Fisher Tiger. The TV suddenly broadcasted a report on the news._

" _Sun Pirate General Arlong is currently taking on an entire fleet of Navy ships and massacring all of the soldiers in the process! He is truly rampaging!"_

" _...That damned fool." I walked off, now donning my signature black coat, which belonged to the Captain. He left it for me. Christina grabbed my arm._

" _Do you want me to go with you?"_

" _No. The marines will recognize you and try to take you back. You've been gone for half a year now. I'm going alone." And with that, I took off. I had learned how to use my lightning abilities as well over the past 4 months. I teleported off to where Arlong was. When I arrived at the island, I noticed that some of the ships were damaged, but the soldiers were all still alive and were getting treated. I walked around a bit until seeing a figure approach me. I couldn't make out who it was, but it looked like he was dragging someone who was tied up behind him along the ground. My eyes widened when the two came into view. The one getting dragged was Arlong. And the one who was doing the dragging was none other than:_

" _Vice Admiral Borsalino." I greeted._

" _Hmm? Who are you?"_

" _Don't tell me that you've forgotten my face?"_

" _...Ohhh! Aaron Hawthorne!" I smiled nervously._

" _So you do remember, then."_

" _Of course I do. I could never forget such an expression of determination and anger on such a young child's face." I looked down at Arlong._

" _A-Aaron! Help me out here! This crazy bastard is going to take me to Impel Down!" I was silent for a moment before Borsalino spoke up._

" _You are also one of the Sun Pirate Generals, yes? Why is it that you don't have a bounty like the rest of them?"_

" _I've been careful. I don't recklessly charge in like Arlong or Jinbei."_

" _I see. We should probably change that when I get back to HQ. I'll tell you what I'll do, because I like you." I raised my eyebrows questioningly._

" _Your friend here, Arlong. Let me take him away to Impel Down, no questions asked, and I'll let you go free today, no bounty, no marines chasing after you. Try to take him back, and I'll have no choice but to capture and subdue the both of you right here and now."_

" _You fool! He's obviously going to save me!" Arlong pleaded. I looked down at him and remembered the news report, Arlong's hatred of humans, and the Captain's last will._

" _Have fun in prison, bastard." I said coldly, then walked away. Borsalino chuckled, then continued on back to his ship._

" _W-Wait, you bastard! You're just gonna leave me to rot in that hellhole?! You traitor! How could you just walk away from me?! GET BACK HERE! AARON!"_

 _ **X**_

" _I...I see…So that's what happened?"_

" _Yes. I'm sorry for doing that. I know he was one of the strongest in the crew."_

" _No. I don't blame you. I know how he's been getting since the Boss' death. If that's how he acted, then I suppose what he needs is some time in prison to sort himself out. In the meantime, I have something to discuss with you. Come with me."_

" _Alright." I followed him._

" _Christina, you come too."_

" _Coming." She followed us into the Captain's room._

" _Take a look at this." Jinbei handed us a new wanted poster and a letter._

" _Your new bounty is 250 million, and...you've been invited into the Warlords?!" We both gasped._

" _I'm at a loss as for what to do. And especially after they just captured Arlong. Christina."_

" _Y-Yeah?"_

" _The Warlords are a relatively new organization. What exactly do they do? You should know, right?"_

" _Yes, I do. Of course, the Navy's ultimate goal is get rid of all the pirates in the world, but even they admit that there are some pirates out there, like the four emperors, or the pirate king himself, that are still extremely powerful. Obviously, they don't want to just send out the Vice Admirals and Admirals every time they have to defeat a powerful enemy. So their idea is to have 7 of the most powerful pirates ally with them. These pirates are allowed to go on with their normal lives, and are protected by the World Gov't by being recognized as an official ally. When they join the Warlords, there are two conditions placed on them. First, they are not allowed to attack the Navy, as they are supposed to be allies of the World Gov't. Secondly, when the Marines require their assistance, either for a simple meeting, or for a war against other pirates, they are required to enter and fight for them. If they need to get out of it, they need to tell the Fleet Admiral a legitimate excuse in advance."_

" _I see. What do you two think?"_

" _I think it would be good. If you join with them, the Sun Pirates will be protected by them and not sought after our bounties."_

" _There's a catch." Christina mentioned. We looked over at her._

" _When I say protection, I don't mean it in a literal context. Sure, the marines will recognize you as an ally, and won't send soldiers after you to hunt you down, but if by any unfortunate chance that you need help from them, they won't send it. You're still a pirate, so they really couldn't care less about you."_

" _But that's the point." I explained to her. "If they chose 7 of the strongest pirates from all of the seas, then they probably don't need help that often. Jinbe's able to take care of himself."_

" _True." She responded._

" _Alright then. I guess I'll accept their request."_

" _Alright. But some of the crew won't like this, you know. After what happened to the Captain, I doubt they'll be ecstatic about you siding with humans."_

" _Don't say that. The Captain's dying wish was that we try not to hate humans. He said that the vast majority are compassionate, and nothing like the Celestial Dragons. Most will appreciate it, and those who don't at first will come around to it eventually. That's what I think."_

 _ **X**_

 _It had been about 4 months since Arlong had been imprisoned. It had taken a while for Jinbei's response to the Warlord request to be processed, but he had finally gotten a letter back saying that his response had been processed and approved. It was about that time that we heard of Arlong's release from Impel Down. We went to pick him up, hoping that he had cooled down from before, but unfortunately, he was even worse. He was angry at Jinbei's decision to become a Warlord, and still angry at Christina and Myself for being humans. I hated to think it, but he seemed beyond saving. Nothing was going to convince him that humans were compassionate at this point. He was hell-bent on revenge against them. He walked quietly to the ship, but glared angrily towards Jinbei and myself. He made us dock at a nearby island and claimed half of the crew for himself, then proceeded to leave the crew._

" _So you're joining the Seven Warlords, are you?! You traitor!"_

" _Arlong! Remember the Boss' last wish! He wanted us to get along with humans!"_

" _FISHER TIGER WAS A FOOL!" he screamed. I felt the anger build up inside of me._

" _I've realized something that you haven't! We Fishmen can try as hard as we want to get along with humans, but the problem is them! THEY will never accept US!"_

" _And so your solution is to get rid of them?!"_

" _Not get rid of, no. SUBJUGATE. We need to prove to them that WE are superior! We should be the ones in charge, not them! Which is why I'm leaving this crew and taking my subordinates with me! Because as long as you are part of the Warlords and try to get along with humans, I will not work alongside you! And if you want to stop me, then you're going to have to kill me! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW! ...Because I won't stop. If you let me go, I'll just do it again and again! Do you hear me?! I WON'T STOP!" And after a pause, Jinbei and Arlong began fighting, but Arlong clearly didn't stand any chance. Jinbei began punching him continuously after pinning him to the ground._

" _Are you going to do it? Are you going to kill me?!" He yelled. Jinbei dropped him and got up. Arlong stumbled up onto his feet._

" _See what...I mean? You're weak! If you want humans to live, then you should have enough conviction to be able to stop me!" Jinbei raised his fist again, but I grabbed it._

" _Enough. He's not worth it." I looked over at Arlong. "Leave. Now. Or I'll kill you myself." I warned._

" _...Tch. Let's go, guys." He took his men and left. We were silent after that._

" _...Damn it all to hell. Half of the crew just left…"_

" _Will you be alright?" Christina asked._

" _I-I don't know."_

 _ **X**_

 _That night, I sat in my room alone, watching the news quietly._

" _And in other news, three new Admirals have been appointed within the Navy." I looked up, interested. "Admiral Dototokage, real name Taiga, has resigned due to family reasons. Admiral Zephyr has also resigned, due to reasons that he did not wish to disclose. Admiral Sengoku has been promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral, leaving all three spots empty. Until today! Sengoku has disclosed to the public who the new selections are! They were all Vice-Admirals, and are going to be promoted! First off is Vice Admiral Kuzan, now going to be known by his alias, Admiral Aokiji, meaning Blue Pheasant! Second is Vice Admiral Borsalino, now going to be known as Admiral Kizaru, meaning Yellow Monkey! And last but certainly not least, is Vice Admiral Sakazuki, now going to be known as Admiral Akainu, meaning Red Dog!"_

 _I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. Now those two were Admirals, which means that they're much harder to get to. I needed a way to take them down, and fast. I couldn't allow them to be Admirals._

" _In other news, the Revolutionary Army was successful in their raid against a Navy stronghold today. The Army is gradually gaining support, with their numbers now reaching about 100,000 soldiers. Their leader, now classified as the most wanted man in the world, is very mysterious. No one knows anything about him, except that he goes by the name Dragon. We'll have more on that in the future."_

 _Revolutionary Army? They directly oppose the World Government's authority. It's just what I needed…_

 _ **X**_

" _You're what?!"_

" _You heard me. We're leaving. Christina and I are going to join the Revolutionaries."_

" _Because of the Admiral promotions?!"_

" _Not just that. The Warlords have been announced as well, and my childhood friend, Dracule Mihawk, is also going to be one of them. He's strong. Stronger than me. So I need to gain strength. ...I'm sorry, Jinbei. It's not that I don't believe in your skills, it's just that...I can't stay here forever. I need to go out there and make a difference. And if I remain a member of the Sun Pirates, our paths will clash, what with you being a Warlord. And I don't want that. So I'm going somewhere where I belong. It's been fun. I'll keep in touch with you." We left without a word._

" _Boss, are you sure about this?"_

" _Let him go. He's right. And he's not like Arlong, either. Aaron will always be on our side."_

 _ **X**_

 _So this is Baltigo? This is supposed to be their base." I said, as we landed on the island. The ground was a snowy white, and it was windy. We walked towards the island, but one of the Revolutionary soldiers stopped us._

" _You two. Who are you and how did you find this place?"_

" _Aaron Hawthorne and Christina Elingston. We're here to join the Revolutionary Army."_

" _...Come with me." We followed him to the base, where lots of soldiers were looking at us, wondering who we were. He led us to the back room, where Dragon was sitting at his desk._

" _Sir, I have new recruits for you."_

" _Thanks. So, what are your names?" He asked without looking up._

" _Aaron Hawthorne."_

" _Christina Elingston." We heard his pencil break. There was a pause before he told the guard that brought us here to leave us._

" _So…" He began, folding his hands together under his chin. "Why does one of the Generals of the Sun Pirates and the daughter of Admiral Akainu want to join the Revolutionaries?"_

" _If you know who we are, then you probably know about what happened to our crew, right?"_

" _Yes. Fisher Tiger was ambushed and died, Arlong was arrested, and Jinbei joined the Warlords, causing Arlong to leave the crew."_

" _You've done your research."_

" _The Revolutionaries have an information network spanning the whole world. I know everything almost immediately. So you two want to join? Alright. I know about your abilities already. Aaron, you have the Chaos Chaos Fruit, and you can use all three types of haki, although you haven't completely mastered them yet. You can use the 6 secret techniques of the Cipher Poll too. Christina, you also use all three types of haki, as well the 6 secret techniques of CP, just like Aaron. You also possess the Moon Moon Fruit, a logia type that utilizes the moonlight. Aaron, how many logia types can you use so far?"_

" _Two. Fire and Lightning."_

" _Well, I actually have two positions available right now. I'm looking for a Chief of Staff, who acts as Second in Command and my Lieutenant, and a 3rd in command, who handles information and some administration. Would you two like to handle those?"_

" _Y-Yeah! That's very generous of you, sir."_

 _ **X**_

 _Dragon trained us personally over the next 3 years. We learned to master our haki, as well as learn the full abilities of our devil fruits. I learned the rest of the logia types, save for chaos. We gained a reputation for ourselves, but didn't allow the Navy to get pictures of us for wanted posters by always avoiding them. Dragon also trusted us enough to tell us that he was a member of the Brotherhood, and was the second in command. As of the moment, the Brotherhood had 4 members in it: Shanks, Silvers Rayleigh, Dragon, and the leader, Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. He wanted us to join as well, but I told him no until I unlock chaos. Christina also declined, saying that she'd wait until I joined before joining herself. As the second in command, and the Chief of Staff, I was in charge of recruiting people for the army. After Roger's execution, Dragon became the mentor of the Brotherhood. I was able to recruit about another 400,000 soldiers alone to join the cause. Then one day…_

" _Aaron, you received a letter from the Navy." Christina told me. She handed it to me. I opened it, and read it._

' _Aaron, I know that you're the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionaries now. Congratulations. However, I know that you haven't officially joined the Brotherhood. So I'd like to invite you to join the Order instead. If you're interested in any way, meet me at Marineford. I'll be sure to call the soldiers off. Signed, Sakazuki.' I stared at the letter for a moment before putting it back in the envelope and pulling Christina along with me._

" _Where are we going?"_

" _Marineford."_

 _ **X**_

 _We stepped off of our boat and began walking up the steps of Marineford._

" _Why did you bring me along for this?" Christina asked._

" _I'm not doing this without you."_

" _I'm the daughter of a newly promoted admiral, and I've been gone from Marineford for over 3 years now. It would have been better if you'd left me back at the base."_

" _You're already the 3rd in command of the army. They already know what you've done, so it can't be any worse."_

" _But we're meeting my father, not just some random soldier! I don't think I can face him!"_

" _Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything." And right on cue, one of the marine soldiers aimed a rifle at us._

" _You two! What are you doing here?!"_

" _We have a letter signed from Admiral Akainu inviting us here."_

" _Show me." I took out the letter and presented it to him. He looked at it, but kept his gun aimed at us._

" _And what if this is a forgery?"_

" _It's not."_

" _Well I don't believe you! I know who you two are! You're the second and third command of the Revolutionary Army!"_

" _For God's sake, leave them alone!" yelled a familiar voice. The marine soldier looked frightened, and I looked towards the new person. There he was: Sakazuki. He looked different from the time when he was Vice Admiral. Before, he wore a white suit with a gray cloak over it, the hood covering his head, and his Vice Admiral cloak draping over his shoulders. Now, he wore a red hawaiian shirt with an orange floral pattern and a dark red suit over it. An Admiral's cloak was draped over his shoulders, and the cuffs of his sleeves were red, as to be expected._

" _Sir, these two claim that they have business with you. They're the second and third in command of the Revolutionary Army."_

" _I know that. And they're here because they do have business with me. I requested them here personally. That letter was not forged."_

" _W-Wha-?! B-But sir…"_

" _But nothing. You may go. Leave us alone for a while."_

" _Y-Yes, sir." The soldier left, and Akainu crossed his arms, looking at us intently._

" _Well well, look at you two. The two strongest soldiers in the Revolution under Dragon. Who would have thought that the boy I met 10 years ago in a small town in South Blue, and my own daughter would lead paths like this?"_

" _Yeah. Who knew?" I said sarcastically. We started walking._

" _Why did you bring her along? I addressed that letter to you and you only."_

" _If I go, she does too." Christina and I had become very good friends over the last 3 years, and hardly argued anymore. She now wore black leather leggings and tall black boots, with a red dress and a dark open jacket over it. I still wore a white shirt, black pants, and shoes, and of course my black coat. Now that we were high ranking officers of the Revolutionary Army, we both wore green hooded cloaks just like Dragon over all of our clothes. We followed Akainu into the main plaza of Marineford, and I noticed some of the Warlords hanging around because of their consecutive meetings for starting the organization. I eyed some of them: Mihawk and Jinbei were both there, and it looked like even Donquixote Doflamingo, the infamous pirate and black market racketeer, was a member. And was that...Hancock? They noticed me and their eyes widened, but at the moment, I was preoccupied, so I kept walking. Akainu led us into his private study. After pulling a lever under his desk, the top drawer unlocked, and he pulled out a large jewelry box. He opened it, revealing multiple Templar Cross necklaces._

" _I assume that you already know that the other Admirals and I are Templars." He pulled out his own Templar Cross, which was gold with rubies._

" _I'm well aware of that." I told him._

" _I have a job for you. Since you're a Revolutionary officer and former pirate, they'll listen to you more than me. I want you to attempt to recruit the Warlords into the Order."_

" _You asked me of all people? Why not ask Sengoku or do it yourself? They fear you more."_

" _It's not fear they need, it's trust. And Sengoku isn't a member, nor do I intend to have him join. Look, just go do it for me, as a favor. You still don't have a bounty. Would you like me to change that?" I took the box, and Christina and I walked out of the room._

 _ **X**_

" _Alright. Everyone's here. Let's start." I began, standing in the front of the conference room. Christina stood next to me, holding the box. She set it on the table and opened it, revealing the Crosses._

" _How many of you are aware of the Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order?" Jinbei, Hancock, and Mihawk raised their hands._

" _Alright then. These two groups have been fighting each other for millennia over political ideologies. The Brotherhood believes that people should have their own freedom and will. The Templars believe that the people need to be guided by a leader. Although most Templars believe more in control than leadership: Politics, Money, the works. The three admirals are all Templars." Their eyes widened._

" _As for Assassins, you have Dragon, Silvers Rayleigh, and Emperor Shanks." Once again, they looked surprised._

" _Admiral Akainu wants to recruit as many of you as he can into the Templars. So let me ask: which of you is interested in joining the Order?" After a moment of pause, Doflamingo and Mihawk raised their hands._

" _Alright. And who is interested in joining the Brotherhood?" Jinbei, Hancock, and Kuma raised their hands._

" _Okay...and who doesn't want to be part of either one?" I asked with half lidded eyes. Crocodile and Moriah raised their hands._

" _Okay. You're dismissed. I'll contact you when either Dragon or Akainu has reached a decision." They began to walk out of the room, and Mihawk walked up to me._

" _So you've decided to join them?"_

" _Yeah. I'm sorry, but after doing research, I feel like people do need a certain amount of organization and someone to guide them. And Akainu has the qualities of leadership, more than Sengoku does."_

" _Fine then. I don't hold it against you. You know that I believe in the free will of people. So if you want to join the Templars, that's your choice. But I hope you realize that eventually, we'll have to meet in battle."_

" _I know that." He walked out of the room. Hancock walked up to me._

" _You're joining us, are you?" I asked, brightly._

" _Of course." she smiled. "I have to repay my debt to you in some way."_

" _I heard you're running your own island. Amazon Lily, I believe it's called?"_

" _Yeah, that's right. It's a women's only island."_

" _Why's that?"_

" _Because all of the boyfriends I've had have ended up breaking my heart, so I don't want any of my girls to go through that. But you're always welcome back to the island any time, remember that!"_

" _Thanks. I appreciate it." I smiled warmly at her. I walked back to Akainu and discussed with him who wanted to join. After about 5 minutes, I walked back out to everyone._

" _Congratulations, you two. Akainu approved you to join the Templars." I handed Mihawk his Cross Kogatana necklace, and Doflamingo declined his, as he didn't want to wear one._

" _So what are you going to do?" He pointed to his pants._

" _The belt loop strings form sideways crosses. That will be enough."_

" _Suit yourself. As for the other three, you're now Assassins. Congratulations." I handed them each a Brotherhood necklace._

" _Now I need a word with just the three of you. Follow me." We walked towards our ship._

" _Dragon wants to meet with you three. So when you're ready, meet us on the island of Baltigo, which is the Revolutionary Army's base."_

" _Will do." They all responded._

 _ **X**_

" _We're back." I walked out onto the balcony, where Dragon was._

" _Those three have just arrived, I see." He pointed to the shore, where three ships were: the Kuja Pirates, the New Sun Pirates, and whatever kind of ship Kuma had._

" _Welcome." I told them as they all walked up to Dragon and I._

" _So you three want to join the Brotherhood, do you?" Dragon asked, looking at all of them._

" _Tell me what drove you to this point. Why do you want to join?"_

" _My crew was torn in half, with the original captain betrayed and killed, one of my friends arrested, and the other one leaving. I want to join an organization that knows how to change the world for the better."_

" _I was a slave of the Celestial Dragons, until Aaron and Christina saved me from them. I want to get back at the Word Nobles."_

" _I want to stop the World Nobles from controlling every aspect of human life."_

" _...Do you swear to uphold the tenets of our creed, and to fight for the freedom of mankind?"_

" _We do."_

" _Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent, hide in plain sight, and never compromise the Assassin Brotherhood. Do you swear to uphold these principles at whatever cost necessary?"_

" _We do."_

" _Nothing is true, Everything is permitted. 'To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.' These are the words recited by Ezio Auditore himself. Do you swear to follow this principle until death?"_

" _We do."_

" _Then rise, Assassins." They stood up. He handed them each a Master Assassin necklace._

" _Since you three are already Warlords, I'm going to have you start at the rank of Master Assassin. Now then, for each of you, I have an individual assignment. After Roger was executed, he left the Brotherhood to me. Unfortunately, we don't have too many recruits right now. Even though Aaron and Christina are not officially members of the Brotherhood yet, they both help me out with the work here. And since the other two Master Assassins, Rayleigh and Shanks, are always traveling and never here, those two are the only ones that I ever have to help out, and they still have their duties to the Revolution to deal with. So I want you each to build this Brotherhood up in your own way. Kuma, I want you to focus on the research aspect. I'm appointing you head of the Archives and Technology Advancement Department. Your job is to develop new technology and record any kind of information you deem useful to the Brotherhood in their Archives on Zou. Hancock: since the beginnings of the Renaissance, the Assassins have employed the services of Courtesans, or Strippers. I have an island already picked out for you named Solacia. So I want you to build that place up with nightclubs, superstores, and whatever else you can think of. However, it will actually be our nest of informants in disguise. Whenever we have a contract or need some kind of information that's more on the streets than in the archives, we would stop there and ask you or one of the others stationed there. You can travel back and forth from Amazon Lily to Solacia whenever you wish, unless I require you to be on one or the other."_

" _Understood."_

" _Jinbei. I mentioned already that we don't have many recruits here. I'm leaving you in charge of our Mercenary Branch. Try to find any kind of recruit you can, and employ them either here or over in Zou."_

" _Got it. What's the difference between Baltigo and Zou?" I stepped forward._

" _The Brotherhood is a secret and different organization from the Revolutionaries overall. Although almost everyone in the army knows about it and about Dragon leading it, most of them aren't part of it. In order to become an Assassin, they should have at least 3 years of experience within the Revolution, and have to pass an entrance exam. So the Brotherhood is comprised of our elite soldiers. Baltigo is the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army, while Zou is the headquarters of the Brotherhood."_

" _So then I take it both you and Christina are Master Assassins?" Hancock asked._

" _No, not yet. We're waiting until the moment is right."_

 _ **X**_

 _I sat down at my desk and sighed. I began doing some of the administrative work that was left for me. Christina walked in._

" _Need something?" I asked, without looking up._

" _I'm just wondering. Are you sure that you don't want to join the Brotherhood yet? We already handle the high-level duties as officers. Even if you don't have control over chaos yet, you're definitely strong enough to join as a Master Assassin already."_

" _I know that. But it won't feel right. I swore to kill every Templar in the New World, and I don't want to join the Brotherhood too early. Because if I join and then fight one, and end up losing, then I'll feel like I'm not worthy to be part of it. I want to join the Brotherhood when I know for sure that I'm strong enough to defeat all of the Templars without fail."_

" _...It's okay to fail, you know. You just get back up again and-"_

" _Christina."_

" _Huh?"_

" _After my parents died, I felt like I didn't have a home anymore. Then when I joined the Sun Pirates, it felt like I had finally found somewhere that I belonged again. But you know as well as I do how that ended up. And now, I once again feel like I have a home, a real one. I don't want what happened with the Captain and Arlong to happen here. I want to make sure that this keeps going, this whole organization."_

" _Aaron…"_

" _Commanders!" one of the soldiers announced, who walked in._

" _What is it?"_

" _Just thought that I'd let you know, sir. We'll be docking at the Sabaody Archipelago soon to restock and get some rest."_

" _Thank you. You can go now."_

" _Of course, Sir." He left._

 _ **X**_

" _Here we are. You guys go get some supplies. I'm going to take a look around." I started exploring the island, as I had never been here before. I heard that it marks the halfway point in the Grand Line. It's where the New World truly begins. Then I heard a lot of murmuring over in one of the main plazas. I decided to walk over to see what was going on. But what I saw made me absolutely livid._

" _You know, I am looking for a wife right now, and I think that you'd be perfect. What do you say? Would you like to become a World Noble?" There was a young woman, about Dragon's age, kneeling on the ground in front of him. She was wearing a green and black blouse and gray pants, along with high heeled shoes. Her hair and eyes were a striking jet black. Her eyes were tearing up, and she looked angry. She clearly didn't want to marry this man._

" _Yeah right…" she whispered._

" _Hm? What was that?"_

" _I said yeah right! Who in their right mind would want to marry one of you damn Celestial Dragons! I will not marry you! Even if I die, at least I didn't die as one of you pigs!"_

 _The Dragon was taken back, and looked furious. Everyone else who was there was shocked that the woman stood up against the assholee. The Dragon stepped off of his platform that his servants were holding up, and took out a pistol. My eyes widened._

" _I don't think so…" I began walking out towards them. The bodyguards looked towards me._

" _H-Hey, you! Don't you know whose presence you're in?! Get down on the ground-" Before they had a chance to finish their sentence, I had already slit both of their throats with the knife that I carried on me. Everyone stared on in fear. The Dragon whipped around and glared at me._

" _What do you think you're doing?! My bodyguards are dead!"_

" _I know." He aimed his gun at me and fired a shot at me. I grabbed the bullet midair and crushed it in my hand. He became terrified, but before he could fire another shot at me, I used shave and appeared right in front of him. I grabbed his gun from his hand and kicked him against a nearby wall. I grabbed his helmet and smashed it against the wall, allowing me to hit him directly. I placed the barrel of the gun against the Dragon's head._

" _N-Now hold on a m-minute! You must know as well as I do that if you do anything to harm me, Navy Headquarters is required to send in one of their Admirals!"_

" _Oh, I'm quite aware. But the difference between myself and everyone else is that I don't really care. I'm strong enough to defeat an Admiral at this point. So there's no point in making empty threats."_

" _Y-You...I know who you are...You're Aaron Hawthorne, aren't you?! You participated in that raid on Mariejois 3 years ago!"_

" _Yes, I did. I can't believe that you stupid idiots didn't learn anything after that. We freed all your slaves and burned your city to the ground. Do you remember that?! WE BURNED MARIEJOIS, THE HOLY LAND! And to think that not one of you has learned from your mistakes. You're all still up to your same old bullshit. It's sickening. What do you have to say for yourself?"_

" _Shows what you know! You don't have this kind of authority! When you have control over every aspect of human life, when you can control the entire Navy with a single command, the power can go to your head, and make you act this way." He smirked. I kneed him in the stomach._

" _You might want to rethink your answer, pal. Last I checked, I'm the one with the gun to your head, and I'm this close to pulling the trigger." He became terrified once again. After a minute, I dropped the gun to the ground and began to walk away. The woman that I saved was the only one still there, and was surprised at my decision. The Dragon became enraged._

" _What, you think that if you quit now that you'll get out unscathed?! Think again! You'd best believe that I'm going to call the Navy right now!" He screamed out. I smirked, and before he could do anything, I appeared before him again. My arm hardened, and I shoved my fist all the way through his chest, out to the other side. He coughed up blood and glared up at me with his last ounce of strength. I kicked him off of my arm, making him fall to the ground. I kicked the gun into the air and caught it as it was falling down. I aimed it at his head, smiling maliciously.  
_

" _You've just dug your own grave." He smiled back at me. I pulled the trigger 5 times, aiming at his head each time. It seemed as if everything went quiet for a minute. I dropped the gun and walked over to the young woman and offered my hand to her._

" _Are you okay?" I asked. She looked up at me, crying. I flinched._

" _I'm sorry that you had to see that. It's just that Celestial Dragons really get on my nerves." I looked away._

" _You're not the only one." She told me. I looked back at her, surprised._

" _I've hated those monsters for as long as I've lived. He called you Aaron Hawthorne. If I recall correctly, you're the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, right?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _Great. I've always wanted to join you, but unfortunately, no one knows anything about Dragon, so it's hard to be able to sign up. Is your ship here now?"_

" _Yeah, on the other side of the island. Would you like to join us and make a difference in the world?"_

" _Yes, I'd love to!" She grabbed my hand. "But I'm afraid that you've got bigger problems right now. After killing that Celestial Dragon, the Navy's going to send one of their Admirals here!"_

" _I'm not worried about that. I'm strong enough now to take on an Admiral."_

 _ **X**_

" _We've got a problem." Sengoku announced._

" _What is it?"_

" _A Celestial Dragon." Kizaru sighed._

" _So someone else injured one? Where?"_

" _On Sabaody Archipelago. And they weren't injured. They were killed." The three newly appointed Admirals became surprised._

" _Someone dared to kill one? Who?" Aokiji asked, interested._

" _The Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. He's Dragon's Lieutenant and Second in Command. Aaron Hawthorne." They all became silent._

" _So...who wants to go?" Sengoku asked. "It's your first official assignment as an Admiral._

" _I'll go do it. I'm sure he'd prefer me anyway." Akainu said, walking out of the room. He sailed towards the island on his personal battleship._

 _ **X**_

" _Sir, would you like to know where-" one of the marine soldiers began as Akainu immediately walked of the docked ship._

" _No need. I can already sense his presence." He continued to walk towards my location._

" _Oh hey, it's you." I said, walking towards him as well. We stood opposite of each other._

" _...I have nothing to say to you."_

" _Neither do I. I know that I'm strong enough now to beat you. So why don't you show me your true power, Sakazuki? Or I hear that you go by Akainu now?"_

" _Why don't you demonstrate this power that you're so fond of instead? You claim that you're strong enough to beat me. Why don't you prove it, and I'll show you if you're deserving of my true power."_

" _Fair enough. I've been training with Dragon for 3 years now, and trained with Fisher Tiger for another year before that, and with Dracule Mihawk for 5 years before that. I'm not going to hold back." I hardened my arm and flew at him, punching him repeatedly in the stomach and chest. He made no effort to block or intercept my hits, and just stood there while I continued to blow holes through his body. I activated my water abilities as well._

" _Tidal Wave!" I summoned a humongous tidal wave to swallow him up, but he activated his magma powers, evaporating it into steam._

' _So he's eaten a devil fruit…' Akainu thought. His eyes narrowed._

" _Rock Tomb Prison!" I summoned two rock walls and clamped them around Akainu, trapping him in an earthen prison._

' _Two different Logias...he must have eaten the other Piece of Eden then, the Chaos Chaos Fruit. How unfortunate.'_

" _Daifunka." I saw the prison begin melt and explode._

" _I suppose that I'll have to stop holding back then. HRAHHHH!" I summoned fire on one hand, and lightning on the other, which began to burn and ravage the land. I put my hands together._

" _Raika Blast!" I shot an enormous beam of fire and lightning fused with haki at him. But he only held out one hand and stopped it like it was nothing. He threw the blast upward, making it eventually dissolve._

" _Damn you...I WILL END YOU, SAKAZUKI! CYCLONE SLICE!" I slashed a giant wave of wind at him, which ended up cutting him in half._

" _Yeah...I told you." I smirked at him._

" _Is this all you have? You're definitely stronger than before, but I'm afraid you're nowhere near my level yet." I gasped. He simply regenerated the upper half of his body, while the original melted on the ground._

' _Something's not right. Why isn't he bleeding at all?'_

" _How are you not injured?! Haki is supposed to be the only countermeasure against Logia types!"_

" _Well, it is. But that all depends on experience. When you get to the level of an Admiral, and similar experience among pirates and revolutionaries, weak haki such as yours can't hurt us. So if you're gonna hurt me, you're gonna have to kick it up another 6 notches."_

" _Grrrr…"_

" _Now then, you said you wanted to fight me at full strength? I don't think so. I'll definitely be able to crush you with less than my full strength. I'll probably only need about ⅓ of it." He shaved in front of me and kicked me in the chest hard, sending me flying through the trees. I coughed up blood, and Akainu kept walking towards me._

' _This is only ⅓ of his strength?! He's way stronger than he was as a Vice-Admiral!'_

 _I ran towards him again, throwing a haki covered punch. He caught it easily with one hand, and then knocked me back against another tree. He walked up and continuously punched me in the chest, making me closer and closer to death. I sat there, blood dripping from all over my body, looking up at the man I swore vengeance upon._

" _I suppose it's time to die. It's unfortunate. Kizaru and I were looking forward to seeing you become stronger, but if this is all you can do after 10 long years, then I don't see any point anymore. And after what you just pulled with killing a Celestial Dragon, I'm afraid that this is the end of the line. So long, Aaron Hawthorne." He began charging up his fist with magma and haki, and prepared to fire it at me. I really thought it was the end, but then a strong green wind began to whip around the area._

" _D...Dra...gon?" I coughed out. When I looked up, I saw Dragon standing in front of me with his hood down and arms crossed, wind blowing around him. He looked at me._

" _...Haki Healing." He healed me so that I could stand off._

" _You'll need medical attention with wounds that severe, I'm afraid that haki healing will only be temporary. So take the girl and get back to the ship. I'll handle things here. Go!"_

" _R-Right." I got up and ran to the woman, helping her up and running towards the ship._

" _You think I'm gonna let you get away?!" Akainu began rushing towards us, but Dragon once again stopped him._

" _Dragon. So you want to fight me? Hopefully you'll be more of a challenge than your lieutenant was."_

" _Aaron was rash and overconfident to think that he could take you on now. I assure you, I'm more than a match for you. And I know this for a fact. Now come." Wind began to blow around him, making his eyes glow green. Akainu threw a hardened punch at Dragon, but Dragon punched back with his own haki, and shattered Akainu's armor. He then punched him in the face a few times, continuously avoiding Akainu's counterattacks._

" _Hrghhh! Daifunka!"_

" _Cyclone Slice." Dragon unleashed a more powerful version of the wind attack that I used before, and slashed through Akainu's attack easily._

" _Dragon...It seems that I'll need to go all out against you."_

" _Bring it. I'm not intimidated by someone like you, Sakazuki."_

" _Transformation: Hound of Hell!" And with that, Akainu transformed into a massive magma cerberus._

" _What is that?!" yelled the girl I saved._

" _Akainu mentioned those to me. They're Admiral Transformations, an Admiral's full power and final form. Although I've never seen one before. I guess Dragon's strong enough to make him go all out."_

" _So you think you can beat me now?" Akainu asked._

" _Of course. Lizard Lizard Fruit; Model: Dragon." Dragon used his Mythical Zoan powers to transform into his most powerful form: the black dragon._

" _A Mythical Zoan? How interesting."_

" _Cyclone Incineration Blast!" Dragon fired a beam of fire and wind at Akainu, who countered with his own fire breath, but was easily overpowered and knocked out of his form after Dragon used his talons to slash his sides. Dragon then left his state, and rushed with us back to the ship. We got on and Dragon ordered everyone to set sail for Baltigo immediately. I dropped down after that, as my wounds had resurfaced._

 _ **X**_

 _I opened and closed my eyes a few times to a dim light. Where was I?_

" _You're awake at last?" a familiar voice asked me. I looked over next to me to find the black haired girl I had saved on Sabaody._

" _Y-Yeah. How long have I been out?"_

" _A few days. We're in the infirmary on Zou right now." I closed my eyes for a moment._

" _I never did ask your name before."_

" _Amaryllis. But you can call me Amy for short."_

" _Aaron Hawthorne. I would say nice to meet you, but you probably see me as an arrogant weakling, huh?"_

" _W-Why would I think that?"_

" _Why wouldn't you? I was cocky, and said that I'd take care of Akainu, but I got slaughtered, and almost cost you your life."_

" _But you saved my life from that Celestial Dragon. And that's more important to me. Frankly, I think that you're more of a hero that's brave as opposed to a coward that can't fight. Even standing up to a Celestial Dragon and an Admiral in the first place is the mark of someone brave. Most people, whether pirates, marines, or just normal citizens, run in fear at the mere mention of an Admiral's name, let alone Akainu's. Yet you stood your ground and took him on, all to protect me and change the World Government. To me, that's what a hero is, someone who fights for the sake of others without being afraid."_

" _...Thank you." I sat up, noticing that I was still covered in bandages._

" _Are you sure you can walk yet?" asked a familiar voice from over by the door. I looked over to see Christina standing there with her arms folded. She wasn't wearing her normal clothes, just a black blouse, black skirt, and sandals._

" _I think so. Why weren't you here to keep me company, Ms. Moon Goddess?" She narrowed her eyebrows._

" _Come with me. I have something to show you." She walked over and helped me up onto my feet._

" _I can walk on my own, thanks." She led me into her office, and pulled up a chair to her desk._

" _Have a seat." I sat down and watched her take the chair opposite of me._

" _What do you see?" She pointed to her desk._

" _Your desk is neat and tidy?"_

" _Exactly."_

" _So?"_

" _I just finished going through all of the paperwork and complaints from the World Government only an hour ago. There was a huge stack of envelopes and letters here before. Because of what you pulled on Sabaody, the World Government has been hounding us and attempting to hunt us down endlessly. Baltigo was discovered." My eyes widened._

" _So for the time being, Dragon had everyone come over to Zou in order to make it look like it's uninhabited. He's proud of you for taking out a Celestial Dragon, but he's not too pleased with your blunder with Akainu."_

" _I didn't think Dragon was the type to get upset over wins and losses."_

" _He's not upset about you losing, he's upset about you fighting him in the first place! You should have known that you were no match for an Admiral!"_

" _You would have done the same if you were in my position!"_

" _No, I wouldn't have. I'm not as strong as you, and I knew that you weren't a match for Akainu yet anyway. Don't do something like that ever again. Not unless you know for sure that you can hold your own."_

" _..."_

" _Dragon wants to see you. You shouldn't keep him waiting. Later on, we'll go out for a drink together, okay?"_

" _Okay." I smiled and left._

" _Aaron."_

" _Hm?"_

" _Stay safe." She whispered, concerned. I left the room and headed towards Dragon's office._

 _ **X**_

 _I knocked on the door of Dragon's room before entering. He glanced back at me, then looked forward again._

" _...Do you understand the consequences of what you did?"_

" _Yes. Lots of complaints, and Baltigo was discovered. But why did you move everyone? Couldn't you have just fought back?"_

" _That would be pointless. Because then they'd relentlessly send soldiers, including the Admirals after us, and even though we'd give them a hell of a fight, we'd get worn down, and eventually lose."_

" _Oh. I suppose you're right, then."_

" _What did Christina say to you?"_

" _That if I'm ever going to do something like that again, I need to be as strong, if not stronger, than them."_

" _Then I say the same. You should have known that you weren't ready to fight Akainu. You're lucky that I was there to be able to save you from him."_

" _Yeah. And you took him on like he was nothing." I said, disappointed in myself._

" _Don't worry about that. Akainu isn't as strong as me, but he's still a worthy opponent."_

" _It's definitely something I need to worry about! I'm your Second in Command, my strength should be at least comparable to yours, but there's an enormous gap, even after training with you for 3 years!"_

" _I've been subjected to harsh training since I was a kid. You know how my father wanted me to be. To surpass him and become an elite member of the Navy. And for a time, I was."_

" _Right. Former Admiral Shiroryuu. The White Dragon."_

" _Yes. Although my Dragon form from my devil fruit is black in color, my second stage is my former Admiral Transformation, which is white, and multiplies its power."_

" _But why aren't I…?"_

" _Because you haven't unlocked your full potential yet. You still haven't unlocked chaos, which is the most powerful logia type of your devil fruit, and the signature ability. In addition, I haven't trained you completely for the Brotherhood yet. Your freerunning skills and assassinations still need work."_

" _...I see. I'm going to my office to take care of some paperwork." I began to leave the room._

" _Aaron."_

" _Hm?" I glanced behind me._

" _Revenge always takes time, you know."_

" _..." I turned around and left._

 _ **X**_

 _I sat down at my desk and began to do paperwork concerning the recent events on Sabaody. After a few minutes, I heard a knock on the door._

" _Come in." The figure walked in and up to my desk._

" _Kuma. What is it?" I asked, without even looking up from my work.  
_

" _I'm heading out on a job. It'll take me a long time though. Three years."_

" _What kind of job takes three years?" He gave the job description to me._

" _Long Term Surveillance on the Marines. Are you sure you want to take this on?"_

" _Positive. Dragon assigned it to me."_

" _...Alright." I shrugged. He took the poster and left. Later on that night, I went out for a drink with Christina._

" _I haven't seen Kuma in a while. Where did he go?"_

" _He told me he was leaving on a long term surveillance job. He'll be gone for 3 years."_

" _Really?"_

" _He claimed that Dragon sent him on it. Speaking of which, where is he?"_

" _He's gone for 3 years on business for reinstating Baltigo. He's leaving the Brotherhood and Army up to you and I."_

" _Hmph. What else is new? It always seems like Dragon's never here."_

" _I know, right?" She laughed slightly._

 _ **X**_

" _So it's been three years, huh?" asked Dragon, when Christina and I finally met him after his job. We had just transferred everything back to Baltigo from Zou._

" _Yeah, it feels like an eternity ago." Christina mentioned. All of the Master Assassins and Commanders were there to greet him: Myself, Christina, Hancock, Jinbei, and even Rayleigh had come out to see us._

" _Hm? Where's Kuma?" Dragon asked._

" _You mean you don't remember? You sent him off on a three year mission for surveillance. He's supposed to be back soon."_

" _...I never sent him off for that."_

" _What?" I asked. The others looked confused._

" _You're not losing your memory, are you?" asked Rayleigh._

" _You're one to talk. I'm not even 30 yet. No. I never sent Kuma on a long term mission. I'd remember if I did, especially since he's a member of the Brotherhood."_

" _Then why did he…?" Dragon closed his eyes._

" _All of you, follow me." He led us into the Archives. Dragon walked over to a large computer and started the system up._

" _What kind of assignment did you say it was?" he asked._

" _Marine Surveillance for 3 years." I responded. Dragon continuously narrowed the search, until it was the exact same type of job._

" _Mm. It looks like a job like this was listed, but it was completed a long time ago, by Shanks when Roger was still in charge. None like that have been listed or requested in the past 3 years."_

" _Which means that Kuma's job is a fake, it never existed." Rayleigh concluded. My eyes widened._

" _Then what has he been doing for the past 3 years?!"_

" _Sir!" yelled a soldier that ran up to us._

" _What is it?" asked Dragon._

" _Kuma has returned, sir!"_

" _We're going." I stated, as Dragon and I walked out towards the shore._

" _Do you want us to come?" asked Christina._

" _No. Stay here. I don't want anything to happen to you." We went out to meet him, and I walked towards him, furious._

" _Where in the hell have you been?" I yelled, throwing a punch at him. But when it collided, something was different than before. I didn't hit human flesh, I hit metal. I pulled my hand away cautiously._

" _What have you done to yourself?"_

" _Just some modifications that Dr. Vegapunk performed. I'm a cyborg now."_

" _W-What?! Why were you…" Kuma looked at me darkly._

" _You never intended to sincerely serve the Brotherhood, did you?" asked Dragon as he caught up to us._

" _Correct. I was assigned a separate mission by Akainu. He had Vegapunk transform me and make mass weapons from my DNA called Pacifista, and also to infiltrate the Brotherhood and get inside information from them." I clenched my fists in rage._

" _You were never an Assassin. You were a Templar even before I gave that presentation at Marineford. You were already fully aware of what each faction does, and expressed interest in joining the Brotherhood so that you could gauge our members and our battle strengths and techniques!" Kuma was silent. I activated my lightning and water powers to create a thunderstorm. It began to pour where we were standing. I hardened my arm and punched straight through Kuma's left side, making him fly backwards. I threw off my green cloak and began walking through the rain._

" _Leave him to me." Dragon left and headed back to the base. Kuma repaired himself and stood back up, walking towards me as well._

' _So he can heal himself through machinery…'_

" _Water Slash!" I formed a blade out of water particles and slashed a wave of energy towards him. But Kuma blocked it using his paw powers. We continued throwing punches and dodging each other until eventually at a standoff._

" _Ursus Shock."_

" _Raika Blast!" All I remembered after that was the incredible explosion of light and passing out._

 _ **X**_

" _Are you alright?" asked a familiar voice. I looked up slowly, seeing Christina kneeling next to me. I sat up._

" _Where's Kuma?" She looked down sadly._

" _He's gone. He left to go side with the Templars."_

" _I see…"_

" _Will you be okay-"_

" _What do you think?!" I snapped at her rather harshly, making her step back a few feet._

" _I-I'm sorry, it's just that...I thought I could change something for the better by joining the revolution! I thought that I had finally found a place where I belonged, a home! And yet, I almost die, becoming a wanted criminal, and am betrayed by one of my friends...DAMN IT!" I pounded my fist into the ground while the rain was pouring down on us._

" _...Come on. Let's get you inside." She helped me up and back into the base. Everyone noticed my personality change, so they already knew what had happened._

" _Aaron, come with me. I have something that I want you to do." Christina and I followed him into his bedroom, and found Amy sitting on the bed next to a crib._

" _Since when did this happen?" asked Christina. I was still silent._

" _Over the three years I was gone." Amy picked up a sleeping baby with jet black hair, just like herself._

" _We decided to name him Luffy." She said, smiling._

" _Luffy?" I asked._

" _Yes. My father once mentioned that that was his father's name, my grandfather. Apparently, he also wanted to stand up to the World Government, but was killed by one of the Admirals at the time. I decided to name my son after him."_

" _I see."_

" _...I want you to take him to Fushia Village, my hometown. Garp is already there looking after Ace, so I want him to take care of Luffy. He's not safe here what with the kinds of work that we do."_

" _Yeah. I get it."_

 _ **X**_

 _Dragon and Amy said their goodbyes to Luffy, and I held him, still sleeping. I teleported to the shore of Fushia Village. I looked down at him, still walking towards Garp's house._

' _Clearly he's not bothered by strong powers. What an odd kid.'_

" _Garp." I saw him sitting outside with a 2 year old Ace next to him._

" _Aaron? What are you doing here?"_

" _Special Delivery for you." I handed him Luffy._

" _Is this…?"_

" _Luffy. You're biological grandson. Dragon wants you to take care of him."_

" _Sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but you know that I'm not that great with kids. I mean you know how Dragon turned out." he joked._

" _I beg to differ. You've been looking after Ace for two years now, and he looks as healthy as can be." I looked over at the smiling boy._

" _Ace, this is your little brother, Luffy. Make sure to take care of him for me, okay?"_

" _Okay! But who are you?"_

" _Aaron. Aaron Hawthorne." I said smiling, as I turned and walked away._

' _We'll meet again, Luffy. Hopefully by the time that you're older, you won't have to be dragged into this insanity.'_

 _ **X**_

" _You're leaving?" Dragon glanced behind me._

" _For a while. I think I just need to clear my head, and relax. It's not like I'm not your Lieutenant anymore, right?" Dragon chuckled._

" _I suppose not. You're traveling with Shanks then? He came back here for a small rest after he completed a job I assigned him."_

" _Yeah. I already told him, and he doesn't mind."_

" _Good luck."_

" _Thanks." I turned and left. I walked into Christina's office and saw her packing a suitcase._

" _Where are you going?"_

" _With you, of course."_

" _No you're not."_

" _Yes I am."_

" _No, you're not!"_

" _Yes, I am!"_

" _This is something that I need to do myself. I'll still see you when I can, you know." She sighed, then smiled._

" _I know. It's just that...I don't want what happened on Sabaody to happen again. With your devil fruit, your anger makes you stronger. But mine is different, I have to stay calm and collected."_

" _I know. But that's why I'm doing this. Because I don't want my anger to get the better of me. Not again. I don't want you getting hurt."_

" _...You'd better come back to me." I looked at her before leaving._

 _ **X**_

" _Are you ready to go?" Shanks asked, his Straw Hat on his head._

" _Let's do it." I smiled, and walked on his ship._

"And after that, I traveled around meeting various different pirates, between Warlords and Emperors, and anyone else you can name." I told them. "I returned to the Revolutionaries 7 years later, on the night that we saved Sabo. Kuma was with us on Templar business, but his goal aligned with ours, so that was the last time we worked together. I trained Sabo to be the next Chief of Staff for the next 6 years, before leaving the rest to Dragon and Christina before setting off on my own to do mercenary work and track the Templars in the meantime. I eventually learned of Arlong's subjugation of Cocoyashi, and traveled there with the intent to kill him, meeting Nami and Nojiko in the process, but I unfortunately couldn't bring myself to do it. I stayed in touch with them over the next ten years, before heading back to stop him again, but Luffy beat me to it." Nami smiled and patted his head. "I was going to introduce myself that night at the party, but I got a call from Crocodile asking me to do a job for him in Alabasta, so I had to leave and stayed overnight in Loguetown. You know the rest from there."

"That's a lot to take in all at once…" Sanji murmured.

"It is indeed, but it's all true."

"Hey guys, there's a giant elephant in the water." Franky pointed out. I looked over to where he was pointing.

"Then we're here. Welcome to Zou, home of the Brotherhood."

 **End.**

 **Next chapter, all the Templars and Assassins will be revealed/returned!**


	17. Zou Again: Home of the Brotherhood

**Forgot to mention, but for Zou, I'm wearing Connor Kenway's clothes.**

 **Songs**

 **Going through the Jungle: Connor's Chase Theme (Assassin's Creed 3 Unreleased Soundtrack)**

 **Top of the Cliff: Temple Secrets (Assassin's Creed 3 Soundtrack)**

 **Christina: Fight Club (Assassin's Creed 3 Soundtrack)**

 **The Archives: Arno's Return (AC Unity Soundtrack)**

 **Templars Assemble: Blackbeard (Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Soundtrack)**

 **Announcing and Picking Targets: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)**

 **4 New Master Assassins: Family (AC Syndicate Soundtrack)**

 **Nami's Training: The Very Very Very Strongest (One Piece OST)**

 **Nami and Luffy Flashback: Fairy Tail Sad Song [Piano Cover] (Fairy Tail OST)**

 **Nami's Observation Haki: Dragon Force (Fairy Tail OST)**

"What do you mean, we're here?! All I see is a giant thousand year old elephant!" yelled Nami.

"That's exactly what Zou is." Law and I responded at the same time. "Franky, steer us around to the left side. There's a hidden underwater platform that will take us up to the docks, where the other ships will be.

"Alright. If you say so." Franky steered us over, and I said my name out loud before a giant metal pillar came out of the ocean and lifted the Sunny up towards the top of the elephant. The ship was placed on a water slide, and we slid down until a giant storage facility door opened, revealing a large docking station, where many ships already were. The lights turned on in the room after the Sunny docked, revealing the other ships.

"Look at all these!" Franky and Usopp looked around at the flags.

"Yep. Hancock's ship, Jinbei's, Shanks', and of course Dragon's own personal ship is over there." I pointed to the large flagship of the Revolutionaries, with a large serpent-like Dragon figurehead.

"Mine's here too. Which means that my crew is already here as well." Law pointed to his own submarine. Luffy looked around all of the ships.

"No one's here." he said.

"So then they're all on the island. Let's get going, then." I led them over to an elevator at the back of the docks. I pushed the button for up, and we all got in.

"We're going to have to walk through the jungle for a bit before getting to the main base on the island.

"That's fine by me!" Luffy said excitedly.

"So Aaron, who are all the Master Assassins?" Zoro asked.

"Well, in terms of strength, the order goes Jinbei, Hancock, Rayleigh, Sabo, Christina, Myself, Shanks, and then Dragon at the top."

"Dad's stronger than Shanks?"

"Yeah. I suppose you can think of it like this: Shanks is about twice as strong as Luffy, a little bit stronger than myself. Dragon is about twice as strong as Shanks and myself, so that would make him close to 4 times as strong as Luffy."

"That's crazy…" Nami muttered.

"You said that the Brotherhood knows about each of us, right? So are they really okay with having people that are not members of the Brotherhood on the island?" asked Robin.

"Well, as long as they're affiliated with the Brotherhood, they're allowed. So of course Luffy and any of us are allowed here because he's Dragon's own son."

"Are you planning to have any of us join the Brotherhood then? Law said he would." They all looked at Robin and myself, surprised.

"...Well?" asked Sanji.

"...Just four of you. I want the four strongest of you to join the Brotherhood as well as Law."

"So Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and…Franky, I'm guessing?" asked Chopper.

"No. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Nami." I corrected. Nami looked down.

"I thought so…" she mumbled.

"I still don't get what's so important about her." Usopp mentioned. Nami slammed her fist into Usopp's head, knocking him out.

"Why don't you try it yourself, Usopp? You unlocked Observation Haki in Dressrosa, didn't you?" Usopp rubbed his head.

"Y-Yeah. So try to sense Nami's latent power? Let me give it a try." Usopp closed his eyes, and after a moment or two, he gasped loudly.

"What is it?" asked Brook.

"N-Nami's haki...is...almost equal to Zoro's!" he yelled. The weaker members of the crew all jaw-dropped.

"Exactly. Because of the fact that she has Conqueror's Haki too, which only one in a million people can use, she is equal to Zoro and close to Luffy in terms of sheer haki."

"So she's as strong as Zoro?" asked Luffy.

"No. In terms of haki, yes. But Zoro is a master swordsman, and Sanji's kicks are still a huge force to be reckoned with. Of course, Nami can use haki with her Clima-tact, which will amplify her power exponentially, but she's not as strong as the Monster Trio or myself." The elevator suddenly stopped, and opened up, revealing the entrance to a jungle. We started walking through it.

"And the Templars? I know you mentioned who they are a long time ago, but let's clarify." Zoro mentioned.

"Well, things have changed since three years ago. For starters, Aokiji left the Marines, so he's not a Templar anymore."

"Aokiji was a Templar?" asked Luffy.

"Well it makes sense, right? All three of the Admirals usually are. But anyways, there's Kuma, Mihawk, Fujitora, Kizaru, Akainu, and Ryokugyu as the Grand Master. And Doflamingo was too, but he's dead now. But…" I thought about seeing Arlong at Dressrosa.

"But what?" asked Nami.

"I have a feeling that the Templars are making their move and recruiting new members." I looked down.

"What makes you so sure?"

"...I saw someone in Dressrosa that shouldn't have been there."

"Who?" she asked.

"Arlong." She gasped, and everyone looked at me.

"He was with Hawkeye, watching the fight between Luffy and I and Ryokugyu. He helped out a few times with his new powers. I'm sure of it, that he's a member of the Order, although I always had a feeling that he would be one day. That means that he's more than likely making a target out of us. Don't worry about it right now. We'll get to that later. Here we are." The trees cleared, and we walked up to a large cliff, seeing two people standing there.

"Sabo. Dragon." I greeted. Sabo turned around and walked towards us, while Dragon simply glanced behind him.

"About time you guys made it here!"

"You left Dressrosa early, did you see what happened while we were there?"

"Of course." Dragon responded. We all walked up to him.

"Luffy." He looked at him.

"Dad."

"Welcome to Zou, everyone." He turned around, and presented the island's main attraction to us. Everyone was in awe. From the top of the cliff, there were multiple waterfalls rushing down into a large pool and bar. Past that, there was a large freerunning course and training ground where soldiers were practicing Archery and their hand to hand and weapon related skills.

"Is Amy here?" I asked Dragon.

"She's in the archives. We'll see her later."

"Alright. Let's go gather everyone else. This is a perfect time to practice your Leap of Faith."

"Leap of Faith?" they all asked.

"Follow my lead." Dragon and I spread our arms out and dived off of the cliff, landing in a giant stack of pool towels below. Sabo stuck his hand out.

"Who's next?" he said, smiling. They all jaw-dropped. But one by one, they dived off into the same pile, and did it with great skill and efficiency.

"Luffy, I'm doing this with you." Nami said.

"Okay. Hold my hand." They walked up to the top of the cliff, hand in hand, and dived off together into the towels. They both got out together. I smiled.

"What am I gonna do with the two of you?" I said, shaking my head. Sanji was angry, and everyone else smirked. I walked over to the bar, seeing Rayleigh and Shanks sitting there. Rayleigh was wide awake, and turned to us, but Shanks was passed out, drunk.

"Rayleigh!" Luffy yelled happily. Then he looked over and saw Shanks asleep.

"SHANKS!" he yelled. But Shanks was still out cold. I walked over and slammed my fist down onto his head.

"Wake up, dumbass. Luffy's here." Shanks fell backwards out of his seat, and tumbled into the pool.

"H-Huh? What? Luffy?!" He climbed out, soaking wet, and looked at Luffy, rubbing the back of his head, smiling.

"Hey Luffy. How are you?"

"...Gum Gum Rifle!" Luffy fired up a spinning punch and slammed Shanks in the stomach, sending him flying back into the pool again. He came out, angry.

"What the hell was that for, you little bastard?!"

"Shanks! Let's fight!" Everyone jaw-dropped again.

"Nami." I looked at her.

"Already on it." She walked over and knocked Luffy unconscious.

"Let's keep going." Luffy woke up and started talking to Shanks casually, instead of just outright fighting him.

"Jinbei! Hancock!" I called out. They were watching the Assassins train.

"Luffy!" she screamed, and ran over. Jinbei smiled and followed her.

"How are you two doing?" he asked.

"We're doing well." she responded.

"So all we're missing now is Christina. Where is she?" I asked.

"Take a guess." Jinbei sighed, pointing over to the large fighting ring, where many Assassins were knocked out of the ring unconscious.

"That woman is such a handful." I muttered. We walked over, and saw her defeating three people at once.

"Don't tell me that this is all you guys have! I haven't even broken a sweat yet!" she announced. I jumped up into the ring.

"I'll make you do more than that." She glanced behind her.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks. You haven't changed a bit."

"Neither have you. You still look like you're in your 20s."

"Well you do too. Our devil fruit powers slow our aging appearance, so we appear younger than we actually are."

"Is that true?" asked Sanji.

"Yes. Aaron's devil fruit is a Piece of Eden, so he has that perk, while Christina's devil fruit powers draw on the moonlight, so they look like they're in their young 20s as opposed to their real ages." Jinbei confirmed.

"Alright, come with us. We have some business to go over with Dragon."

"Okay. I guess I won't get a good fight today after all." she sighed. She grabbed her coat and put it back on. We started heading towards another elevator.

"By the way, notice anything different about me?" she asked, spinning around once.

"You're wearing Evie's clothes?! Where did you get those?"

"I happened across them on a job. I decided to take them for myself."

"I've been collecting the rest of the legendary armors. I don't have hers, but you got them for me?"

"I got them for myself." she snapped.

"They belong to me. I'm a direct descendant of Evie."

"True, but you're never going to wear them, they're women's clothes. I'm your best friend, won't you let me keep them?" she pleaded, trying to look cute. I sighed.

"Oh my goddddd…fine." She jumped up in the air, cheering.

"The two of you are a recipe for disaster." Jinbei sighed.

"Uh huh." We arrived at the elevator in the cliffside. It opened when I pushed the button for the archives. We all walked in, and the elevator began to go down. After a minute or two the elevator became transparent, and we could see through it.

"Welcome to the Brotherhood Archives." Dragon said. It was a massive library filled with books, computers, and different artifacts and mementos. At the very back towered statues of Altaïr, Ezio, Connor, Edward, Arno, Jacob, and Evie, circling around the whole room.

"Incredible." Robin whispered.

"Anything you want to know about all over the world is recorded somewhere in here. Let's go." I said, as the doors opened and everyone stepped out. Dragon led us to the back of the hall, where we saw Amaryllis sitting at a table, reading today's newspaper.

"Well, well. Look who's here." She said, folding up the newspaper.

"Hello again. I haven't seen you for quite a while." I told her. She looked over at the rest of the crew and saw Luffy. She began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing. You're just the spitting image of Garp, but you're not a Marine." she chuckled. "I hope you've been doing well, Luffy." she grinned at him in a way that reminded him of his own smile. Luffy drew a blank for a few seconds, trying to figure out who she was.

"Think hard." she told him. For a brief second, Luffy remembered her holding him when he was a newborn.

"M-M-Mom?" he choked out.

"Bingo." she responded. Luffy started tearing up.

"Come here." she smiled. "Captain's don't always have to be so serious." Luffy ran over to her and tackled her in a hug.

"Mom...I missed you."

"Me too."

"People will believe that, right? I look like her, so when Luffy and I get married, they'll know!" Hancock fantasized. Everyone sweatdropped.

"You ruined it." I told her. She pouted. Luffy and Amy broke away. Then she became serious.

"Aaron, have you seen the newspaper yet today?"

"No. Why?" She handed it to me.

"Take a look." She handed it to me.

"...I knew it. Arlong didn't break out of prison, he was released again. He killed Edward Weeble, a Warlord, and got his bounty raised to 500 million, same as Luffy's. He officially became a Warlord this morning." I threw the paper back onto the table.

"Another thing. The Marines are going to broadcast a program over the TV on every channel in only a few minutes. We should watch it."

"Alright. To the couch!" yelled Zoro. Everyone went to the giant couch in front of the giant flat screen TV. Nami sat next to Luffy, as usual. The TV turned on, and there was a view of the execution platform. All of the marine soldiers were beneath it, watching. There was a speaking podium with a microphone attached to it in the center of the execution stand. All of a sudden, everyone calmed down. A single figure walked out of the hall behind the execution stand. Once he came into view, he walked up to the podium.

"Ryokugyu." Luffy mumbled.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of seeing that green suit." I sighed. He adjusted the microphone and spoke into it.

"Thank you all for coming here today. I have a very important announcement. Today marks a very special day. The day when the marines begin to take down the pirates for good!" Everyone mumbled in confusion for a few seconds, but gradually cheered.

"Since the beginnings of civilization, two groups have battled each other over political views. These groups are known as the Assassin Brotherhood, the ones who believe that humanity moves forward through the free will of the people, and the Templar Order, who believe that in order to progress, people need leaders to guide them. On October 13, 1307, the Templar stronghold was raided by Master Assassin Thomas de Carneillon and his followers, and all of the Templars, including Grand Master Jacques de Molay, were arrested. In 1312, Pope Clement V officially dissolved the Order, and on March 18, 1314, Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake in front of King Philip IV of France and the Pope. From that point on, the Templars became an underground organization, deciding to influence societies behind the scenes, through politics, the economy, industry, transportation, the arcane, and so on." He smiled. "The Templars still exist today, right here and right now. Today is the day that the Order comes out of hiding! I am the Templar Grandmaster of the New World!" he announced. I clenched my fists, and Nami grabbed hold of Luffy's arm.

"And as of this moment, Sakazuki and I switch jobs. From now on, I'll be the Fleet Admiral of the Navy. Sakazuki will once again become Admiral Akainu. Now then, I think it's best that I introduce the rest of my comrades who serve in the Order. I'll work my way up to the top. First off, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, with a bounty of 296 million berries! Bartholomew Kuma!" Kuma walked out onto the platform. "Next, I want to reinstate this man's position as a Warlord! Sir Crocodile, with a bounty of 81 million berries!" Crocodile walked out.

"Interesting." Dragon commented. Luffy was indifferent.

"That bastard." Sanji said angrily.

"How…?" asked Usopp.

"I broke him out of Impel Down. He fought with me at Marineford. My guess is he's just been traveling around on the seas since then." Luffy responded.

"Next up is a member of the Worst Generation, and one of the eleven Supernovas, rookie pirates who achieved a bounty of 100 million or more in their first year of sailing! Basil Hawkins 'The Magician', with a bounty of 320 million berries!" Hawkins walked out onto the platform as well.

"Him too?" asked Zoro.

"Our next member was Donquixote Doflamingo, who had a bounty of 340 million, but as you saw in Dressrosa, I killed him. So we found some new members, already including Crocodile and Hawkins. Next up is another Supernova, and one of the strongest ones. Eustass 'Captain' Kid, with a bounty of 470 million!" Kid walked out and stood next to Hawkins.

"Him, huh?" Luffy mumbled.

"Didn't you and Law fight alongside him before?" I asked.

"Yeah. He's really strong, and one of my rivals."

"You might have seen the newspaper this morning. Former Warlord Edward Weeble caused us a lot of problems recently, so we sent out one of our best to take care of him. I don't think he's back yet, though-"

"I'm right here." Arlong walked through the hall and out onto the platform. Ryokugyu frowned at him.

"You're covered in blood."

"It's not mine." He grinned. The Green Admiral quickly smiled and chuckled. The rest of us were giving a range of reactions, from simply frowning, to growling, to gasping.

"Warlord and Former Sun Pirate General Arlong, with a bounty of 500 million!"

Nami held onto Luffy even tighter.

"Next is another one of our best. I'm sure you're familiar with him by just his reputation alone. The strongest swordsman in the world and another member of the Warlords, Dracule 'Hawkeye' Mihawk, with a bounty of 600 million!" Mihawk walked out and stood next to Arlong.

"There he is…" Zoro murmured, leaning forward.

"After that, we have Issho, otherwise known as Admiral Fujitora!" Fujitora slowly came out and took his place. Sabo narrowed his eyes.

"Now we have our top three. Our third in command, Borsalino, also known as Admiral Kizaru!" Kizaru spared no time in arriving and used his light powers to teleport next to Fujitora. The marines roared.

"Our second in command, Sakazuki, also known as Admiral Akainu!" Akainu walked out and took his place next to Kizaru.

"And as I already announced before, I'm the Grandmaster, and the strongest one here. Now then, quiet down for a moment." The Marines were cheering so loudly that he had to make them calm again.

"This is all well and good, but a Templar is nothing without a target to take out, right? As I've stated before, eventually each and every pirate and revolutionary will be wiped out, but I'd like to start by making some examples out of a select few. Our first targets will be the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, and the other members of the Assassin Brotherhood!" Everyone cheered once again.

"And since I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you guys choose your targets yourself. You each get no more than two. Here are your choices." A giant monitor lit up behind them showing pictures of everyone.

"'Cotton Candy Loving' Chopper, with a bounty of 100 berries. 'Demon Child' Nico Robin with a bounty of 130 million berries. 'God' Usopp with a bounty of 200 million berries. 'Humming' Brook, with a bounty of 83 million berries. 'Cyborg' Franky with a bounty of 94 million berries. 'Cat Burglar' Nami with a bounty of 66 million. 'Black Leg' Sanji with a bounty of 177 million."

"But we're not even comparable to you guys!" Usopp complained.

"Templar Grandmasters are thorough. Ryokugyu has no intention of sparing the weaker targets."

"Now for the big titles! 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro with a bounty of 320 million! 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law with a bounty of 500 million! 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy with a bounty of 500 million! 'Pirate Empress' Boa Hancock with a bounty of 80 million! 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbei with a bounty of 460 million! Revolutionary Army 'Number Two' Sabo, with a bounty of 600 million! 'Moonlight Goddess' Christina Elingston with a bounty of 730 million berries!"

"Your bounty is that much and you didn't bother to tell me?" I looked at her, frowning. She winked.

"'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh, with a bounty of 900 million! 'Devil's Child' Aaron Hawthorne with a bounty of 1 billion 200 million! Emperor 'Red-Haired' Shanks, with a bounty of 850 million! And finally, the most wanted man in the world, Revolutionary Leader and Brotherhood Mentor Monkey D. Dragon, with a bounty of 1 billion 500 million berries!" The Marines' cheering became out of control.

"This is it. Pay attention." I instructed.

"So why don't we start at the end? Kuma, who would you like to hunt down?"

"...The Cyborg...Franky." Franky's picture disappeared from the monitor. Franky looked surprised.

"Crocodile?"

"Nico Robin." he said, looking down. Robin's eyes narrowed, and her picture disappeared from the monitor.

"Hawkins."

"I think I'll take the Skeleton and the Reindeer. I find them interesting." Brook and Chopper's pictures disappeared.

"Kid."

"Law and that Long-Nosed Sniper, Usopp." Usopp and Law's pictures were removed.

"Arlong."

"Do you even have to ask? Nami and Jinbei." Jinbei grunted and Nami held on to Luffy, scared. He squeezed her hand.

"Mihawk?"

"...Roronoa and Hancock." he said, his hat covering his eyes. Zoro wasn't surprised, and Hancock frowned, remembering their brief conversations at Marineford.

"Fujitora."

"I'll take Sabo and Christina. He and I still owe each other a rematch after what happened at Dressrosa. And she peaks my interest." Their pictures disappeared.

"You two fought there?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah. It ended in a draw, but I wonder if he was holding back."

"Kizaru."

"Hmmm...how about Black Leg and Rayleigh?" The photos disappeared once again. Sanji gritted his teeth, and Rayleigh had a serious look on his face.

"Akainu."

"Straw Hat and Red Hair." he announced in a firm voice. Luffy clenched his fists while Shanks sighed.

"Excellent. Then leave Aaron and Dragon to me. Meeting adjourned." They all turned around and went back through the hall. Amy shut the TV off. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Well there we have it." I sighed and stood up. "Remember who picked you as a target, because they're also your target as well. Learn everything about them that you can, and train yourself in order to defeat them." Dragon stood up and looked at them.

"You five said you wanted to join the Brotherhood, right? Come with me." Everyone followed him over to the elevator again, and went down further into the hideout. We came out into a large ceremonial hall.

"Line up. You five stand in the middle. The rest of the masters stood on the sides opposite of each other, while the other Straw Hats stood off to the side. Dragon and I stood up at the top of the stairs, holding a display box with 5 Master Assassin necklaces. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Law walked up the middle and knelt down at the bottom of the stairs.

"You want to do the honors?" Dragon asked.

"Sure." I walked forward. "Do you swear to uphold the tenets of our creed, and fight for the freedom of mankind?"

"We do."

"Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent. Hide in plain sight. Never compromise the Assassin Brotherhood. Do you swear to uphold these principles at whatever cost necessary?"

"...We do."

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted. 'To say that nothing is true is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.' These are the words recited by Ezio Auditore himself. Do you swear to understand and follow this principle until death?"

"We do."

"Then rise, Assassins." They stood up again. I went to them one by one, presenting them each with a necklace.

"Welcome to the Brotherhood." I smirked. Everyone clapped for them.

"What about armor and weapons?" Sabo asked.

"It depends on personal preference. Only Christina and I did that, but if you guys want to…"

"I'm good." Zoro said.

"Me too." Sanji responded.

"I'd rather not." Law said.

"Nope." Luffy mentioned.

"Me neither." Nami smiled.

"Okay then. We just got here, you guys don't want to leave yet, do you?" I asked. Everyone shook their heads, wanting to stay for a little while longer.

"I have to head over to Solacia. I'll be there for two weeks or so." Hancock told us.

"Alright. We'll be heading there next, so expect to see us in another week or so." She left.

"I have to go as well. I'm helping King Neptune out with a few concerns in politics, so I have to go back. It was nice seeing all of you." Jinbei said, saying goodbye to everyone and leaving.

"You two?" Dragon asked Rayleigh and Shanks.

"I have nowhere else to be, I can stay." Rayleigh said.

"Me too." Shanks said.

"Sabo, Christina. You two have somewhere to be?"

"Not yet." Sabo told him.

"Nope." Christina said, humming to herself.

"Good. Luffy, Christina, I leave you two in charge of teaching Nami haki. The rest of you can use your time as you please." I told them.

"Sure." Luffy smiled.

"Okee doke." Christina responded, now whistling.

"Have fun, you three. Christina, try not to kill her." I looked at her.

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked innocently. I facepalmed.

 **X**

"Alright, Nami. Let's start with Observation Haki, since Sanji mentioned that you began sensing the presence of others. Put this on." Luffy handed her a blindfold.

"You're kidding, right?" she asked nervously.

"This is the same way that Rayleigh taught me. You'll have to withstand our blows."

"Don't worry, we won't use haki."

"If you say so…" Nami put the blindfold on and sat down. Luffy and Christina stood behind her.

"Nami, try to hear our movements, and predict them."

"I'll try." Christina stepped forward and readied her attack.

"Finger Pistol." She concentrated her power into the tip of her finger, and thrust it towards Nami. To both of their surprise, she dodged it by shifting her body to the right.

"Well well...you're farther along than I thought you were. I'm going to use multiple strikes now, alright?"

"Go for it." Nami was thinking about what they said.

'Hear their movements, and predict them.' Nami focused hard, and dodged the first few of Christina's strikes, but then got hit by the next few.

"Rgh! Ow!" she yelped. Christina stopped and looked at Nami clutching her sides. A little bit of blood trickled onto her fingers.

"Are you alright-"

"Don't worry about me! Keep going!"

"..." She used her finger pistol again, and once more, Nami began dodging them successfully, only to end up getting struck again.

"Mmph!" Nami cried out. She clutched at her wounds again.

"Nami!" Luffy bent down next to her.

"I'll be fine, Luffy. Really." she smiled weakly.

"No. We should take a break."

"...One more time. One more time, and then we'll take a break."

"...Fine." This time Nami stood up and stood opposite of Luffy.

'Predict the attacks. Hear them. Sense his presence…' Nami's mind suddenly flashed to when she asked Luffy about haki on Fishmen Island.

 _Nami walked down to the aquarium room, hoping to get some time alone with Luffy. Robin had told her that he was watching the fish. Luffy, Aaron, Zoro, and Sanji all said that they could sense all three types of haki inside of her. She wanted to ask Luffy what it feels like to have the abilities, and to be able to sense the presence of others. To have the power that only one in a million people had. She could have asked one of the others, but Zoro wasn't the best at explaining things, Sanji would be too preoccupied and in love with her to explain, and Aaron would just tell her some mystic shit about it or something. Not that Luffy was any better. He'd probably just say that it's a 'mystery power' or something like that. But she loved Luffy. The two of them were close, and when push came to shove, he's the one that she can rely on the most. She walked into the aquarium room to see Luffy laying down across the large lounge couch that circled around the room. His hat was covering his eyes, so she seemed to be asleep. He slowly inhaled and exhaled, and she could see his chest move up and down ever so slightly with every breath that he took. She walked over and took a seat next to him, watching him with a smile on her face. Her eyes unconsciously trailed from his face down to his muscular chest, and...the massive, X-shaped scar burnt into his skin. She immediately became upset. She traced her finger over it gently._

" _Luffy… what happened to you?" she whispered._

" _Mmm…" he shuffled in his sleep, and slowly woke up. His hat fell off of his eyes, and he looked up to see Nami looking at him._

" _Nami? What are you doing here?" He looked down at his scar to see Nami's hand there. She quickly pulled it away. Luffy sat up._

" _I-I came to ask you about a few things."_

" _Okay...What's on your mind?"_

" _That scar, first. How did you get it?"_

" _Oh. That…It's a long story."_

" _I'm not going anywhere."_

" _Jinbei told me that after I passed out, he carried me away from Marineford. Akainu pursued me relentlessly, and eventually fired a beam of magma from his fist then went right through the two of us, forming a hole, and leaving us scarred. It took a while to heal after that." Nami was on the verge of tears._

" _You...You almost died…?" she asked quietly._

" _Yeah…" he looked down._

" _Why did you pass out?" she was gradually getting quieter._

" _Ace...was killed right in front of me. I still have nightmares about it. Akainu's fist through his chest...him dying in my arms. His blood was all over my hands, and the next thing I knew, my mind shattered." Luffy told her solemnly. Tears were streaming down Nami's eyes. Luffy didn't even blink before she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace, crying into his shoulder._

" _Na...mi…"_

" _I'm sorry. It's just...I'm so happy you're alive." she sobbed._

" _...I'm happy you are too...Kuma told me before he sent me off that I would never see any of you again. I didn't want to believe it. While I was training, I always thought about meeting you guys again. I couldn't wait to see you, Nami." He returned the embrace._

" _What else did you want to know?" The two didn't show any intention of breaking away from each other._

" _About my haki. You said you'd teach me how to use it. What is each type used for?"_

" _The first type is called Observation Haki, and you've already seen it in action. I used it when dodging all Hody's Shark Arrows. It's about sensing your opponent's presence, and predicting their attacks. The second type is called Armament Haki." Luffy took his arms off of her and hardened his arm, turning it black. "This is supposed to act as an armor that enhances your attacks. It is also the only effective way to harm logia devil fruit users. Lastly, there is Conqueror's haki, which as I'm sure you've heard by now, only 1 in a million people possess." Luffy quickly unleashed a short burst of it throughout the room, seemingly making time freeze for only a moment. Of course, Nami was unaffected._

 _"Against any normal opponents, that small amount would have been enough to take out a couple thousand soldiers instantly." Nami's eyes widened._

" _So i could learn to do that?"_

" _No." Luffy said firmly._

" _What do you mean? I thought you were going to teach me?"_

" _I can teach you the first two, but Conqueror's Haki is something that you have to master on your own." Luffy put his hands on her shoulders. She opened her mouth slightly._

" _You're like me, Nami. Someone who can use all three types of haki is a rare case. We're special, you and I. And for people like us, sometimes haki comes naturally instead of by hard work and effort."_

" _I-I see…"_

 _The next morning, Robin came down to read a book and watch the fish, but instead found Luffy and Nami leaning against each other, sleeping peacefully, their heads lying on one another's. She smiled, and left them alone._

'Maybe it isn't a matter of trying hard or focusing my energy. Maybe it comes to me naturally. I'm always stressed and fed up because of the antics of our crew, so perhaps if I relax and feel out my opponent, I can do it.' Nami took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Gum Gum…" Luffy took a stance. Nami decided to listen instead to the sounds of wildlife around her. The rushing water, the chirping of birds. Then she could see it. Luffy's aura. It was blue in color. She saw him move into his stance. She could see his movements and predict them, even with her eyes closed!

"Gatling!" He started throwing a barrage of punches at her. At first, he held back a little bit, but once he saw her elegantly dodging each and every one as if it were nothing, he grinned and increased speed. Nami still dodged them, never taking her feet off of where she was standing. She just moved her head slightly when a punch was about to connect, letting her dodge with a level of mastery. Luffy stopped, and caught his breath before reaching around and taking the blindfold off of Nami.

"You did it." he said, smiling at her. She smiled right back at him.

"I remembered. You told me that to some, like us, instead of using effort to bring out our haki, sometimes it comes naturally. So I decided to relax and calm myself."

"In any case, nice job!" Christina told her. "Now then, those wounds from before." She walked up to her.

"Oh, right. Let me go find Chopper-"

"No need." She put her hand on Nami's head. "Haki Healing." A small wave of haki was sent into Nami's body, and a few seconds later, her wounds were healed just as quickly as they formed.

"W-Wow...Haki can do that too?" she asked, amazed.

"Right. It's part of the next step, Armament. I'll teach it to you later."

"You can use it too?" she asked Luffy.

"Yep!" he said happily. "So can Aaron, Dad, Shanks, and Hancock!"

"Sabo and I can as well." Christina commented.

"And the others?"

"Jinbei can use Armament Haki, and Luffy said that both Zoro and Sanji can use Armament and Observation. And then you can use all three. In any case, Nami, let's take a break for now. You unlocked your first form very quickly. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, but compared to yourself and Aaron, who had mastery over all three types at just 15 years old…" she pouted.

"But it took us more than 10 minutes to master each form."

"...Alright. Luffy, let's go get a drink or something."

"Sure!" He picked her up and carried her off to the bar, making her cry out in embarrassment. Christina just shook her head and smiled as the two disappeared from sight.

"Luffy, you don't have to carry me there!" Nami complained, blushing madly.

"But I want to. You tired yourself training. I don't want you to overexert yourself." They finally arrived at the bar and Luffy plopped her down on one of the bar top stools. He sat next to her.

"What can I get you two?" asked the bartender.

"Aaron?" they both asked at the same time. I turned around.

"Oh, hey guys. Normally, Christina or one of her officers serves drinks, but I'm covering for her today because of your training. Speaking of which, how's it going?"

"Great. Nami learned Observation Haki already!"

"There's a big difference between learning and mastering, Luffy." I told him. "What do you two want to drink?" Nami ordered a tropical pineapple and coconut smoothie, while Luffy just asked for a bottle of coconut rum. I handed them their drinks. Then, all of a sudden, I threw a punch at Nami. However, she moved her head to the side, still drinking.

"This is really good. Thanks." she smiled.

"Hm. You are good at it after all. You're welcome."

 **X**

"So you learned how to use Armament Haki too now?" Rayleigh asked Nami as everyone was packing up on the ship.

"Yeah. It took me longer than Observational, but I still managed to do it."

"Well then, congratulations. You didn't get to Conqueror's yet, did you?" he asked.

"No, not yet. Luffy said he'd teach me on the way to the next island."

"Alright then. Good luck."

"Thanks Rayleigh." She grinned at him. Everyone got on the ship.

"Hey, before you take off, there's something I want you guys to know." Dragon told us.

"What is it?"

"Now that you know all of the Templars, there's four among them that are especially dangerous. Arlong, Mihawk, Kizaru, and Akainu are all considered Master Templars."

"They are?" I glanced over.

"Master Templar?" Zoro asked.

"They're in the same class as a Master Assassin. They're the elites of the Order."

"I see."

"In any case, stay wary of them. Where are you guys heading next?" Dragon asked.

"Well, Luffy's birthday is in a few days, so I was gonna take everyone to Solacia as a present to him."

"Oh yeah, it is!" Sabo remembered.

"Happy early birthday then, Luffy." Dragon and Amy told him together.

"Thanks!" he smiled.

"Here, this is a present from the three of us. Some spending money for Solacia." Dragon tossed a large pouch up to Luffy, who caught it.

"How much is in here?" he asked, while placing it on the table.

"15,000 berries. Have fun." Sabo smirked.

"Wow. So much?" Luffy asked, holding Nami back from stealing the money.

"Well, you'll need it, considering where you're going."

"Hm?" all of the Straw Hats looked at him questioningly.

"You haven't heard of Solacia yet?" asked Dragon.

"I'll explain it to you later." I told them.

"For now, goodbye. I'll see you again when it comes time. Good luck." Dragon told us. And with that, the ship began to sail off. The Sunny was brought down off of the elephant by another elevator pad. It was a nice and sunny day out. Clear skies, and warm, but not hot.

"So what's this Solacia place Dragon mentioned?" asked Robin.

"You haven't heard of it either?"

"No. Sabo never mentioned it."

"It might be because you weren't a member of the Brotherhood. In any case, Solacia…" I smiled. "...Is a paradise on earth."

 **End.**


	18. Solacia

**Solacia's finally here, wooo! This is the chapter where Luffy and Nami end up revealing their relationship to the rest of the crew, and where something else exciting happens. You'll find out, I'm not going to spoil it now. I wear Jacob's clothes in this one. Top hat, cane sword and all. Enjoy!**

 **Songs**

 **Arrival: Dynamite (Taio Cruz)**

 **Strip Club: Worth It (Fifth Harmony)**

 **Everyone at Strip Club: Follow Me (Hardwell)**

 **Nami's Immersement: Scream (Usher)**

 **Nami and Luffy in Love: DJ Got us Fallin' in Love (Usher)**

 **Mihawk's Arrival and Speech: Titan ~chiku part 1 (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Mihawk's Transformation: Titan ~chiku part 2 (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Hotel: We did it! Party! (One Piece OST)**

 **Christina's Antics: Can Can Theme (Fairy Tail OST)**

"Solacia is...a paradise on earth, in a word."

"Paradise on earth?" Robin asked.

"Right. It's a night club island." I told them. They all became excited.

"Night Clubs?!" Sanji screamed.

"Yes, night clubs. And there's also strip clubs as well, if you want to go further along." Sanji's hearts appeared in his eyes and he began to spin around. Zoro grinned.

"Sounds like fun." he said.

"Oh, it is. Trust me. But that's not even the best part." I told everyone. They all looked at me questioningly.

"Hancock is the one who runs and manages the island. That means that it's an island controlled by the Brotherhood, and is protected by herself and Dragon. Which means…" I grinned. "That the Navy isn't allowed on the island at any cost." Everyone's eyes widened, and slowly smiled, then cheered again. Everyone except for Nami. She frowned slightly.

"Nami? Something wrong? Aren't you happy about this?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, it's just...nevermind. Let's go."

 **X**

"Well, here we are." I pointed to the island as Franky pulled us into the docks.

"It's incredible…" Usopp whispered. The entire island was a modern day city covered in neon lights, light up billboard advertisements, and stores of various different kinds.

"Alright, go have fun. We're only staying here for a day, so don't go too far from each other." They all ran off the ship, sprinting towards the city.

"Shall we, Nami?" Luffy asked. She glanced at him, and sighed, then walking off the ship with him. I followed after.

"What do you want to do first?" Nami asked me.

"Well, I think the first thing we should do is go see Hancock before running off to have fun on our own."

"Okay. Do you know where she is?"

"Probably. She's usually running her largest facility here, which is a dance and strip club called 'The Snake's Charmers.'"

"Great…" Nami mumbled, slightly annoyed.

"...Ohhhhh, I get it! The name!" Luffy laughed. Nami growled at him. [Yeah, the name, if you don't get it, is because Hancock's called Snake Princess, and the strippers are her charmers. ;) ]

 **X**

"This place is pretty big…" Nami mumbled, walking in with the two of us. The place was dimmed down with pink and blue flashing lights, and there were large round tables all around the room. Behind it all was a large dance floor with the floor tiles flashing an array of different neon colors. Many different people were sitting at the tables, eating and drinking. On every table was a stripping pole going through the middle and up to the ceiling. Almost every table had a model wearing nothing but her bra and panties, spinning around it and entertaining the men. Nami once again was not very happy. She looked over on the wall to see a poster that portrayed Hancock posing. That made her even more annoyed.

"There she is." I saw Hancock in the back behind the bar counter, serving a few drinks. She was wearing her blue dress. We walked up to her.

"Oh, you're here! Welcome to Solacia, you three!"

"Thanks!" Luffy responded happily. Nami was also getting increasingly frustrated by Luffy getting more and more excited about the island. But her thoughts were cut off by Luffy handing her a bottle of something.

"Here, Nami. It's tangerine flavored. You want some?" She couldn't help but smile and take the bottle from him, so she began to drink it. It was actually really good. Better than anything that she's ever had before.

"The food and drink here is the best stuff around. Have a good time, you two." I said, going to talk to Hancock, leaving Luffy and Nami on their own.

"So Nami, want to go shopping?" Luffy asked.

"Not right now. I just need a little time on my own right now…"

"You're not sick, are you?" he asked, concerned.

"No, it's not that." she chuckled.

"...Alright. Here, take this with you." he gave her the rest of the drink.

"I thought we were gonna…"

"I'll just get another one. It's fine. Go have fun." He grinned at her, making her blush.

"Okay. Thanks." She left to go walk around. Luffy ordered another drink, and hung around at the bar.

 **X**

After a few hours of exploring, shopping, and other miscellaneous activities, the rest of the Straw Hats returned to 'The Snake's Charmers'. Both Sanji and Brook felt right at home with all the girls around. Zoro actually didn't go to them as he said he would, and instead decided to hang back and talk with Robin. The rest of them either danced or drank. Except for Nami, who stood at the side, crossing her arms. She didn't look like the happiest person in the world at the moment. I noticed this and frowned. I walked over to Luffy.

"Luffy, Nami's been distant since we've gotten here. Do you know what's up with her?"

"I wonder if it has to do with Arlong…" he mumbled.

"...Why don't you go and talk to her?" Luffy paused for a moment before walking over to Nami.

"Nami."

"Hm? Need something?"

"Is there something wrong? You haven't been happy since we left Zou."

"I'm fine, Luffy, I just...need some time alone."

"Are you afraid of him?" Luffy asked quietly. As Nami was walking towards the door, she froze.

"...No." She kept walking, but at a quicker pace, and walked out the door. Luffy walked back over to me.

"No good, huh?" I asked.

"No. You wanna try? I don't want her to be like this for the rest of the time."

"I'll be right back, then." I walked to the door, and opened it, leading outside. I noticed Nami sitting on the front steps of the building. I walked over and sat down next to her.

"Having fun?" she mumbled, sounding disappointed, almost depressed.

"Everyone but you. What's going on with you? ...Are you worried about Arlong and how he picked you as one of his targets?" Nami hugged herself.

"No...Well, I guess it has to do with that."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"It's just...you brought us to Zou and went through a big giant ordeal to have us join the Brotherhood. We watched Ryokugyu become Fleet Admiral and introduce the rest of the Templars, and have them pick targets. And Luffy and Christina even taught me haki. We were finally taking a stand against them, and were determined to stop them, one by one. Or at least it seemed...but now, the first place that you take us is an island like this. I feel like this is the worst possible time to party on a nightclub island."

"...That's exactly why we're here, Nami. To blow off steam, and not get too pressured by what just happened. If we only fought against the Templars, we wouldn't be the Straw Hat Pirates when we finished anymore. Everyone would start to crave battle and lose their original, fun partying personalities." Nami gasped, as realization hit her.

"Do you get it now?"

"...Yes." She covered her face with her hands. "I'm such an idiot...I acted like a total bitch to Luffy…"

"Don't say that. Luffy doesn't think that at all. He's only worried about you. Did you forget why we came here in the first place?" I checked my pocket watch and smiled. "It's midnight. Today is Luffy's birthday." Nami's eyes widened, and she slowly lowered her hands.

"Do you know what to get him for a present?"

"...Yes! I'm going to go make it up to him!" She stood up and got ready to go back inside.

"Nami." I stopped her. She looked down at me.

"Don't worry about Arlong. I know that he's much stronger now than he was in the past, but we're helping you become stronger as well. Strong enough to fight him on your own. And don't forget that Jinbei will be there to help you out, as he's one of Arlong's targets too. And if worst comes to worst…" I smiled at her. "You know that Luffy and I will be there to save you in a heartbeat." She grinned at me, then went back inside. I followed her back in.

Nami walked around, looking for Luffy before spotting him at the bar, looking bored.

'Does he miss me?' she thought, blushing and smiling sweetly. She walked over to him and tugged on his arm.

"Nami!" She grinned at him.

"Come on. Let's go dance." She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him towards the dance floor. They began to dance slowly, trying to feel out the song first. A bunch of others were already dancing at various other parts of the floor, but it wasn't crowded. Nami watched Luffy dance on his own. He was actually really good at it. Nami began to pay attention to the lyrics of the new song that the DJ began playing.

 _I see you over there, so hypnotic_

 _Thinking 'bout what I do to that body_

 _I get you like ooh baby baby_

 _Ooh baby baby; ah-ooh baby baby, ooh baby baby._

 _Got no drink in my hand but I'm wasted_

 _Getting drunk on the thought of you naked_

 _I get you like ooh baby baby ooh baby baby_

 _Ah-ooh baby baby, ooh baby baby_

 _And I ain't trying to fight it, to fight it_

 _But you're so magnetic, magnetic_

 _Got one life, just live it, just live it_

 _Now relax, and get on your back_

 _If you want to scream, yeah_

 _Let me know and I'll take you there_

 _Get you going like ah-ooh_

 _Baby baby, ooh baby baby_

 _Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby_

 _If you wanna turn right_

 _Hope you're ready to go all night_

 _Get you going like ah-ooh_

 _Baby baby ooh baby baby_

 _Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby_

 _If you wanna scream_

Luffy held out his hand to her, smiling. He wanted to dance with her. She happily took it and went on with him.

 _Kill the lights, shut 'em off,_

 _You're electric_

 _Devil eyes telling me come and get it_

 _I have you like ooh_

 _Baby baby ooh baby baby_

 _Ah-ooh baby baby ooh baby baby_

 _Girl tonight you're the prey_

 _I'm the hunter_

 _Take you here, take you there_

 _Take you wonder_

 _Imagine me whispering in your ear_

 _Then I wanna, take off all your clothes and put something on ya_

 _And I ain't trying to fight it, to fight it_

 _But you're so magnetic, magnetic_

 _Got one life, just live it, just live it_

 _Now relax, and get on your back_

 _ **Chorus Repeats 2x**_

Nami's face was getting really flushed as she continued to dance with Luffy and listen to the song. She loved him to death, but hadn't thought about sex yet. To be honest, she was trying to think about how she'd have to explain it to him. She had daydreamed once about doing it with him and him actually being really good at it. She knew how ridiculously strong he was, and that he trained a lot as well. Honestly, she couldn't wait for the day when they finally went full circle, seeing his muscular shoulders and abs, his body in all of its glory, his… Nami's face turned scarlet.

'Don't think about that right now! Now is not the time for dirty thoughts, Nami!'

"Nami? Are you feeling alright? Your face is really red. You don't have a fever, do you?" He pressed his hand to her forehead, just making her blush even more.

"I-I-I'm fine, Luffy! I'll be okay!" she laughed nervously. The song ended, and everyone cheered. Almost immediately, another one started.

 _So we back in the club with our bodies rockin' from side to side_

 _side side to side_

 _Thank God the week is done, I feel like a zombie gone back to life_

 _back back to life_

 _Hands up, yeah suddenly we all got our hands up,_

 _no control of my body_

 _Ain't I seen you before?_

 _I think I remember those eyes eyes eyes, eyes eyes eyes_

Nami couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't wait, and the music lyrics implied love anyway. She didn't care if the rest of her crew were watching them anyway. Aaron already knew, so it's only a matter of time before they find out anyway. Before Luffy could start dancing again, Nami grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and smashed her lips onto his.

' _Cause baby tonight, the DJ got us fallin' in love again_

 _Yeah baby tonight, the DJ got us fallin' in love again_

 _So dance dance, like it's the last last night of your life life_

 _Gon' get you right_

' _Cause baby tonight the DJ got us fallin' in love again_

Luffy's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. He never expected Nami to kiss him right in the middle of the biggest party island on the Grand Line! She told him that she wanted to keep it kind of quiet for the time being. When the rest of the Straw Hats saw them, the majority had the same reaction. Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Brook, and Hancock's jaws all dropped to the ground. Zoro, Robin, Franky, and I already knew about how they felt about each other, so we smiled brightly, knowing that the rest of the crew finally knew as well.

"N-Nami's k-k-kissing Luffy?! WHAT?!/?!" Usopp screamed at the top of his lungs.

"N-N-Nami-Swan…? W-With him…?" Sanji mumbled almost inaudibly. He was in too much shock.

"They're not going to have a kid yet, are they? I don't know if I'm ready to deal with human pregnancies yet…" Chopper asked Robin.

"I don't think they will yet. They've only been together for a short time so far. They haven't done anything past kissing and cuddling yet. At least...not that I'm aware of." Robin teased Chopper, making him get nervous again.

"Maybe I can convince Luffy to get me a pair of Nami's panties now?" Brook asked, before Franky hit him over the head.

"Sorry to break it to you, but there's probably even less of a chance of that happening now. Luffy's pretty protective of Nami." Franky grinned.

"Someone get me a camera so that I can take a picture of the stupid cook's face." Zoro said, chuckling to himself after seeing Sanji's reaction.

Luffy and Nami heard everything that their crew said, and pulled apart, holding each other.

"Happy Birthday Luffy." Nami smiled at him.

"Thanks, Nami."

Hancock fell to her knees. "Luffy...WHY?! AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?! I'M THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD!" she wailed.

"Second most beautiful." Luffy said, smiling. Hancock fell over onto her face.

"Chopper and Robin, that's a no." Nami told him, making him fall onto his back with a giant sigh of relief. Robin just smiled at them.

"Here's your camera." Luffy told Zoro, one of the girls giving him one, then tossing it over to Zoro, who quickly started snapping photos of Sanji. It wasn't long before the two of them started fighting.

"And as for you…" Nami walked up to Brook, who started sweating nervously. "You'd better watch it from now on, pal." Nami warned him, hardening her arm with haki as a demonstration to the skeleton musician.

"U-Understood!" he yelled out, not wanting to get slaughtered.

"Good." Nami smiled, releasing her armor. She walked back over to Luffy and rested her head on his shoulder.

 **X**

"...It's been a long time since I've been here." He said while walking off of his ship. One of the girls noticed him walking towards 'The Snake's Charmers'.

"Mr. Mihawk, sir? What are you doing here?"

"Boa Hancock invited me here personally, when we were at Marineford."

"...And you didn't come until now?" she frowned.

"I've been busy. In any case, may I see her?"

"Of course. Right this way."

"Ah!"

"Hm? Something wrong?" asked Hancock. I looked over to her.

"He's here." Her eyes widened.

"Stop the music!" she ordered. Everything became quiet in the club all of a sudden.

"Girls, get dressed. And that goes for any members of the Brotherhood as well. We have company."

Everyone walked outside to see him standing at the entrance.

"Oh, Lady Hancock! You have a visitor!" announced the girl who escorted him there.

"You shouldn't have allowed him on the island!" she yelled.

"Come now, you didn't forget what you told me at Marineford, did you?" he asked, walking forward. The rest of the Straw Hats finally saw who it was, and were on guard immediately. Hancock growled.

"You told me I was allowed back on this island any time I wished. And so I'm here."

"What do you plan to do here?" she asked, cautiously.

"Well, that all depends. I didn't come here with the intent to eliminate you, but now that Roronoa is here as well...I have both targets in one place. I could finish both of you right now if I wanted." Zoro stepped forward, his thumb on the hilt of one of his swords.

"That's not gonna happen. What happened to wanting me to surpass you?" he smirked.

"Oh, I still very much want to see that happen. But I have changed my views slightly, now that the Grandmaster has made his move. If I decide that you should die instead, then I won't hesitate to kill you." he smiled.

"Oh really? You think you can? Even after training with you for two years?" he smiled, preparing to take out his swords.

"Hold it. You don't need to fight him." Hancock stopped him. "We have plenty of associates of the Brotherhood here. Go get him!" she ordered. Many Assassins and Kuja women rushed towards him with their weapons drawn.

"Wait, don't!" I called out. But it was too late. Hawkeye had already unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki without moving so much as a muscle. All of the warriors instantly fell to the ground. Hancock stepped back, bewildered.

"You shouldn't have done that. HIs haki is equal to mine." I told her.

"Since when do you possess Conqueror's?!" Zoro asked.

"I always have. You mean you couldn't tell?"

"No. You never talked about it. You only taught me the other two types of haki."

"That's because Conqueror's Haki isn't something that can be taught. If you had it, I would have told you and demonstrated it. But you didn't, so I didn't tell you, even though I know Rayleigh mentioned it a few times, so you learned what it was. Ask your friends over there: Aaron, the Empress, Straw Hat, the girl. They all have it, and they didn't master it by being taught. Luffy especially unleashed it instinctively in Marineford." Luffy narrowed his eyes, then widened them when he saw one more assassin lunge towards Mihawk from behind with his sword aimed at his throat. But the Master Templar simply held his hand up, allowing the sword to slip through it, before being shattered by his grip. The Assassin dropped to the ground on his knees, before Mihawk walked up to him.

"W-Wait, please don't-"

"I'm not gonna kill you, relax. Coward." He placed his hand on the assassin's head. "1 million volt Vari." was all he said before a discharge of blue lightning electrocuted the man and knocked him unconscious.

"That technique!" Nami yelled. Mihawk turned around to see Luffy aiming a punch at him. He quickly drew his sword and imbued it with haki. He was about to slice Luffy across his stomach before Hancock appeared between them and hardened her foot, kicking Mihawk away from Luffy.

"Empress."

"Don't call me that. Do you still think that you're allowed on this island after what you've done?!"

"After what I've done? All I did was come here because you invited me too. Everything after that was your doing."

"You're a Templar, and one of the strongest at that! You're one of Ryokugyu's elites, so you're not welcome here!"

"That didn't stop you before." Hancock snarled at him. Mihawk sighed.

"I've had enough of this. It's time to fight. And I'm not going to hold back. I'm sure you've noticed my new powers? I took a trip up to the White White Sea a while back, and killed Eneru, taking the Rumble Rumble Fruit and its powers for myself." Everyone gasped. Mihawk took off his hat.

"200 million volt Amaru." And with that, a huge column of blue electricity engulfed him. After the pillar disappeared, Mihawk stood there in his new transformed state. His entire body had become blue lightning. His hair spiked up, and his sword had become electrified. However, he sheathed it, believing that he could take them all on without it.

Zoro lunged towards him with his swords drawn, but Mihawk simply swiped his hand at him, knocking Zoro's swords out of his hands and sending them spinning into the ground. Zoro was bewildered at his master and sworn rival's new powers. He quickly grabbed his swords again, and hardened them with haki.

"...Demon Aura Nine Sword Style Asura Silver Mist!" Zoro activated his nine sword style, creating the illusion of a three headed, nine armed demon resembling Asura. He flew at Mihawk, who decided to unsheath his sword once again. The lightning transferred into the blade electrified it, sparking light blue static everywhere. He effortlessly slashed his sword right through Zoro's attack, making him fall to the ground, bleeding.

"Zoro!" Luffy screamed. Mihawk put his sword away and deactivated his transformation. He looked back at Zoro.

"...You'll have to do better than that if you plan on beating me now." He began to walk away before Hancock blocked his path.

"Where do you think you're going? You really think you can leave now, after what you've done?" she asked angrily.

"I think it's pretty clear that I can finish the both of you at my leisure. I don't need to kill you right now. Neither of you are worth it as is." he said coldly, beginning to walk past her again before she swung her leg at him, encased in armament haki. However, Hawkeye hardened his own arm and blocked it with almost no effort at all. She lowered her leg and gasped.

"That wasn't wise. If you continue to provoke me, Empress, than I'll change my mind and kill you right here and now." She slowly backed away, making it look like she was standing down. After a moment's pause, Mihawk continued walking back towards the port where his ship was.

"...Perfume Femur-"

"30 million volt Vari." Mihawk appeared in front of her instantly before blasting her into unconsciousness with electricity. Mihawk then turned around to see an infuriated Luffy. But before either of them could make a move, I got in the middle.

"Luffy enough. You're not strong enough to take him on."

"What do you mean?! Electricity doesn't work on me!"

"No, but swords do. When you fought at Marineford, you were no match for him then, either, not even in 2nd gear." Luffy calmed down, and I looked towards Mihawk.

"As for you, leave. Because as I'm sure you've already seen, even though the others may not be able to handle your new form, I still can. You clearly didn't come here to have fun. You took advantage of Hancock's offer to display your new power to us and make us afraid of the Order. Go, before I get angry." He looked at me for a moment before turning around and leaving without a word. I turned around and went over to Hancock's side. Chopper went to heal Zoro.

"Damn it...Damn it all!" Zoro yelled, slamming his fist against the ground.

"W-What is it?" asked Usopp nervously.

"What do you mean, what is it?! I trained with him for two years for the sole purpose of surpassing him! And now, he shows up with a near-invincible devil fruit, and I'm once again powerless to stop him, just like the first time!"

Luffy slowly walked over to Zoro, then smacked him across the face, leaving him startled.

"What was that for?!" he yelled at Luffy.

"The problem isn't them, it's us!" he yelled back, making everyone quiet again.

"Aaron warned us that this might be the case. If the Templars are stronger than us, then we just have to become stronger ourselves, strong enough to face them. Don't act like it's impossible, Zoro. Our dreams are the kind that take time to accomplish. I've had my dream since I was a little kid, and I still haven't accomplished it yet. But you don't see me giving up, do you? You'll beat him one day, I know it." Zoro looked down.

"...You're right. I'm sorry, I lost my head there for a moment."

"Haki healing." I healed Hancock and restored her consciousness. She sat up and shook her forehead for a moment.

"That guy...I can't believe him." she mumbled.

"Well, he's gone now. But to me, one thing about Mihawk has always been clear." Everyone looked at me curiously.

"I've known him since I was a child. Dracule's one of the most dangerous Templars there is, because he doesn't get angry. He's able to keep his cool, unlike some others, like Doflamingo or Arlong." Everyone silently agreed.

"...Hancock. We're going to stay here for the night, but we're gonna leave tomorrow. Okay?" Luffy asked.

"...Of course. There's plenty of hotels here. I'll make sure you get deluxe rooms."

 **X**

"My lady! What a surprise! What are you doing here?" asked the receptionist at the hotel.

"I'm here to vouch for the Straw Hat Pirates. Each room has 2 queen sized beds in it. But we could get a king suite for Nami and Robin and have Chopper sleep on the pull out couch, I guess." Hancock suggested.

"That's fine, but it won't be Robin and I staying together. I'm rooming with Luffy." she volunteered. Once again, everyone's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Fine by me." Luffy shrugged.

"B-B-But Nami-Swan!" Sanji cried out.

"No buts, Sanji. Do you honestly think that Luffy and I just got together at that party? We were together since Fishmen Island. And now that the rest of you finally know, I'll be sleeping with Luffy from now on." she said nonchalantly, making Sanji and Hancock become depressed.

"So then Robin will end up staying with one of the guys…" Usopp muttered.

"Robin-Chwaaaaan!" Sanji was instantly happy and in full on love mode again.

"Absolutely not." she shot him down.

"Absolutely not guys?" asked Franky.

"No, absolutely not Sanji." she responded, making Sanji fall to the ground again.

"Why don't we do it by process of elimination, and by the end of it, it will be decided?" asked Nami.

"Fair enough. Against my better judgement, I'll stay with Sanji." Usopp announced.

"The hell is that supposed to mean, Long-Nose?!"

"I guess I'll go with Brook." Franky said, since the two of them actually got along pretty well.

"Then I guess Robin's staying with Chopper." Luffy commented.

"I guess I'll stay with Zoro then." I said.

"But I already spend a lot of time with Chopper. Isn't part of visiting Solacia to have fun and try new things? How I about I room with Zoro instead?" Robin asked, chuckling.

"No way in hell is that happening! Not with that Moss-Head!" Sanji protested.

"No one asked you." Nami told him, knocking him out.

"That's fine." Zoro smirked.

"WHAT?!" Sanji screamed.

"Would you shut up already?!" Nami yelled, punching his head in, this time with haki. Sanji was out cold for the rest of the conversation.

"Alright then, Chopper. It's you and-"

"No it's not." said a familiar voice. I turned behind me to see Christina walking towards us.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"You almost sound disappointed to see me." she taunted. "I've decided to tag along with you on your journey through the New World. I'll be rooming with you for the night." she grinned.

"...I beg your pardon?"

"Don't you dare steal my signature line and use it on me." she growled.

"Tch." I looked away. "Sorry to say, but we don't really have the room on the Sunny for another person to stay with us."

"Too late. I already unpacked my things." My mouth hung open.

"Where?! The women's quarters is already full with Nami and Robin."

"I already told you, I'm rooming with you." she said, stretching her arms behind her head.

"...You are?" I gulped.

"You don't have a problem with that. Do you?" she asked in a threatening way.

"N-N-No! Of course not!"

"Good. Then we're all set!"

"Chopper, I guess you can room with Sanji and Usopp in a triple room instead." Hancock told him.

"Okay."

"...Alright then. Prepare seven rooms for them." Hancock ordered the receptionist.

"Of course, my lady. They'll be ready in 10 minutes or so." she told them.

"Thank you." Nami acknowledged. We all walked over to the lobby and sat in various places. I stood with Hancock.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes. I've been here for a while now, so it's about time that I head back to Amazon Lily."

"Okay. Safe travels." I told her. She hugged me goodbye.

"And as for you…" I looked over to Christina, who was whistling to herself. I narrowed my eyes. She glanced over at me, curious.

"Need something, Demon Boy?" she asked.

"Don't call me that."

"What, a demon?"

"No, a boy. Would you like it if I called you a girl?"

"I wouldn't mind. It's not insulting. Neither is the way I call you boy."

"It is when you say it the way you say it."

"Oh, shut up. I told you that I'm a Moon Goddess, I can do whatever I want to." she said, playing with her hair.

"Oh yeah? Can you swim yet?"

"W-Well…"

"Of course you can't."

"THEN WHY CAN YOU?!"

"BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF MY POWERS! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT?!"

"If I'm almost as strong as you, I should be able to swim as well if I try hard enough! I told you that I'm basically a goddess thanks to my powers!"

"And I told you, THAT'S NOT HOW DEVIL FRUITS WORK!" And just like that, we were at it again. The others were sitting there with their heads resting on their hands, shaking their heads or sighing or facepalming. It was bad enough when Zoro and Sanji fought like every 5 seconds, but now they have to deal with the two of us as well.

"We don't need you guys arguing just like Zoro and Sanji!" Nami began, walking over to the two of us, preparing to knock us out. But we stopped and turned to her with demonic glares on our faces.

"Don't think we're as easy to stop as those two weaklings." we growled at her.

"S-S-S-Sorry…" she said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice, turning around and slowly walking back towards the others. We went back to arguing, before Luffy walked up to us.

"What, you want some now too?!" she yelled. I stopped by this point, not wanting to have another all out battle with Luffy.

"Second Gear!" he announced, turning his body red, and blowing steam throughout the room.

"Enough. No more fighting, you two." he said, sounding serious.

"...Fine. But when we get back to the ship, someone's going to fight me seriously." she sighed.

"Fine, I will." Luffy told her.

"Your rooms are ready." the receptionist called over from the front desk.

"Finally." Zoro muttered as he stood up and followed the receptionist along with everyone else.

Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper found their room and started unpacking first. Afterwards, Franky and Brook found their room, then Zoro and Robin, then Luffy and Nami, and lastly, Christina and Myself. She decided to take a shower first after traveling from Zou to Solacia, so I unpacked all of my things first. After she came out, she started unpacking her own things.

"...How many pairs of black yoga pants do you even have?" I asked, sighing.

"I've told you before, black is one of my favorite colors, right after red. And I like wearing them because they bring out my sex appeal even more." she winked at me. I rolled my eyes and decided to go to sleep. After about 15 minutes, she turned off the lights and got in her own bed. She put her arms behind her head and glanced over at me.

"...Be honest with me, how do you feel about all of this?" she asked softly.

"...The Templar Conspiracy?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I think you know that I know most of them pretty well. Kuma's a traitor. Doflamingo was a tyrant. I don't know Hawkins or Kid that well, but I know that Luffy and Law do. We already know how Arlong turned out. Dracule is a longtime friend of mine. And as for the admirals, well...you already know that I've sworn vengeance against them. What about you?"

"More or less the same. Except that I don't know Mihawk as well as you do. But for the Admirals, I expected my father to pick me as a target, not Fujitora."

"I was surprised at that too. But it might be because Shanks is someone that Issho might not be able to handle. Your father's the Lieutenant of the Order, Ryokugyu's right hand and most trusted ally. So I suppose they didn't want to chance anything. It might also be because of when Shanks showed up at Marineford and stopped Akainu's attack."

"...Are you sure you're okay with letting Luffy and Sanji take care of Akainu and Kizaru? You've wanted to get them back ever since you were little…"

"It's fine. Because now I know who the true enemy is. Ryokugyu's a bigger threat. And much stronger, too."

"...Together."

"What?"

"Promise me that we land the last blow against him together. You're not the only one on this team who's suffered, and don't you forget that."

"...Okay. It's a promise." We fell asleep shortly after that.

 **X**

"...It doesn't hurt, does it?" Nami asked, lying against Luffy and placing her hand over his scar.

"Sometimes, I guess. Not as much as it did before. And besides, it's just a scar now as opposed to when it was still an injury."

"...I see."

"...You're tattoo is a scar, right?"

"...Yeah. I wanted to get the old one removed at the island, but I couldn't. Instead, we decided to modify it to my current one."

"Ah."

"What about your other one, under your eye?"

"I plunged a dagger into my eye."

"You WHAT?!" she screamed.

"Nami, these walls aren't soundproof!" she heard Zoro yell from the other side.

"Oh, S-Sorry!" she yelled back.

"Why the hell did you cut yourself with a dagger?!"

"To prove to Shanks that I had what it took to become a pirate."

"What, he didn't think you had what it took?"

"No. He said that I was just a little kid, and I didn't have the tenacity or strength necessary to become one. So I was trying to prove that I did by not being afraid to hurt myself."

"Oh, you idiot." she whispered, caressing his scar with her thumb. She snuggled into his chest.

"You know, Nami, it's kind of the same with you. Didn't you get your own scar by stabbing yourself with a knife multiple times until I stopped you?"

"It wasn't the same. I did that out of anger and frustration. You did it just to prove a point."

"And if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have become a pirate. Think about that." Nami's eyes widened.

"I did it to prove that I had what it takes to become a pirate. If I hadn't done that, then I wouldn't have believed that I could become the Pirate King. I wouldn't have set out to accomplish my dreams. Zoro would have been executed. Usopp and Kaya would have been killed by that Butler guy. The Baratie would have been destroyed, and Sanji would be dead. Chopper's home would have been taken over by that Munch-guy again. Alabasta would have been overthrown and Vivi killed by Crocodile or Baroque Works. Robin and Franky would have been hunted down and killed by CP9. Brook's shadow would still be missing, leaving him stranded in the Florian Triangle. And your village would still be ruled by Arlong. It's these little things that make all the difference, Nami."

"...Now that you mention it, yeah...Who would have thought that everything turned out the way it did now because a young Luffy cut his eye?" she laughed along with him.

"Who would have thought that you and I met in Orange Town by chance and decided to team up?"

"Who would have thought that you still believed in me even after I stole your ship and betrayed you. You saved both me and my home."

"Who would have thought that I carried both you and Sanji all the way up that mountain on Drum Island in the middle of an Avalanche just to make sure that you got proper medical treatment?"

"Who would have thought that we ended up falling in love…?" she said now in a hushed whisper. And with that, they fell asleep.

 **End.**

 **Okay, a few things. First of all, I hope you all liked it. Second of all, no, Christina and I will not be a pairing. Third, whereas when Eneru transforms, he turns giant, Mihawk doesn't do that, he stays his normal size. Fourth, after the next island, I have officially run out of names for islands and what they look like. I could really use some ideas. Thanks!**


	19. Evergia

**Before I start the chapter, I'm going to list who has Conqueror's Haki on each side, and how many opponents they can take out with it. Assume that after training with Nami, Luffy's has become stronger since Fishmen Island. I'm also changing the name of Dragon's devil fruit from Wind-Wind to Gale-Gale. Enjoy!**

 **Brotherhood**

 **Hancock: 60,000**

 **Nami: 60,000**

 **Luffy: Previously 50,000, Currently 70,000**

 **Rayleigh: 65,000**

 **Christina: 70,000**

 **Aaron: 90,000**

 **Shanks: 100,000**

 **Dragon: 200,000**

 **Order**

 **Arlong: 60,000**

 **Mihawk: 80,000**

 **Akainu: 90,000**

 **Ryokugyu: 200,000**

 **Songs**

 **Luffy's Haki vs Nami: Luffy vs Ratchet Round 1 (One Piece OST)**

 **Dragon's Past: Yasha's Theme (Asura's Wrath OST)**

 **Christina's Reveal: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)**

 **Arlong Appears: Dark Future (Fairy Tail OST)**

 **Arlong's Abilities: Huge Dragon on the Move (Fairy Tail OST)**

 **Templars Appear: The Evolving Falcon [Kurosaki's Theme] (Yugioh Arc-V OST)**

Hancock had already left the island the night before, so there wasn't anyone to say goodbye to. We thanked the people who had helped us and got back on the ship, dragging Sanji and Brook along with us, who kept yelling about leaving them there. We set sail shortly after.

"Where should we head to next? We've already restocked here, so we're good to go." Nami said, laying down on her lounge chair and looking at the choices for the next three islands. Christina walked up to her.

"Head to this one next. The town is peaceful, but there are some Templar agents stationed there. It's called Evergia, it's a cross between a beach island and a colonial stone city." she said as she pointed to the log pose that wasn't the most dangerous, but also not the most peaceful.

"Alright then. Set sail, Franky. Luffy!"

"Yeah?" he asked, walking out of the kitchen, eating a large piece of meat.

"You're going to train me to use Conqueror's Haki."

"I thought I told you that you can't learn it?" Luffy said, tilting his head to the side.

"That doesn't mean we can't try."

"...Fine." He walked over to her, and she stood opposite of him.

"I suppose that we should see just how much Conqueror's you can take to measure how strong your own is."

"Fine. Do it." she told him. Luffy took a deep breath and then suddenly unleashed a wave of haki towards her. Her hair blew around a bit, but she was unaffected.

"You're holding back." she told him, her hand on her hip.

"Of course. I told you I have to use it at various levels to see how much you can take." He increased the power, blasting it at Nami again. This time, she closed one of her eyes shut. Chopper and Brook suddenly collapsed.

"This is the same level I was at during Fishmen Island. This amount can take out 50,000 opponents." But Nami still stood her ground. Once again, Luffy upped the power up.

"This is my max. 70,000 opponents." he said in a serious tone. At this point, Nami had to shield herself with both arms, and even then, began crying out, because Luffy's haki threatened to send her flying. Robin, Usopp, and Franky had all fallen to their knees, trying to stay conscious. Sanji and Zoro began to hold onto something nearby for support, as even they were beginning to get affected. Of course, Christina and I were fine. Luffy stopped, and walked over to Nami to help her up.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Yes, I should be fine. I should have expected that I'm not as strong as you."

"Don't worry about measuring up to the rest of us, Nami. Your strength is your own."

"Yeah." she smiled at him.

"Are the rest of you okay?" Luffy asked the others who were affected by his haki.

"Y-Yes, we'll be alright." Robin answered for them. Luffy looked back at Nami.

"So since 50,000 wasn't enough, and 70,000 was too much, I'd say your haki is probably able to take out 60,000 opponents, Nami."

"That's almost unbelievable. All of this haki that I have inside me." she sighed, sitting down. She looked over at me.

"How many can the others take out?" she asked. Everyone sat down to listen.

"Hancock and Rayleigh are the same as you, 60,000. Luffy and Christina are both 70,000."

"Mm. And you mentioned that you were 90,000 right?" she asked.

"Right. Shanks can take out 100,000. And Dragon at his peak can easily take out 200,000 opponents." I said. Everyone was shocked by that.

"...What about Hawkeye?" asked Zoro.

"80,000. He's in between Christina and Myself." I told him. Zoro frowned.

"Any others from the Templars?" asked Luffy.

"Well, I know Akainu can use it, so by that logic, Ryokugyu should have it as well. But I'm not sure how strong each one's is."

"...90,000, same as you." Christina mentioned.

"Who's?" I asked.

"Sakazuki's."

"You know how strong it is?"

"Yeah, I passed by him after getting Evie's clothes. He told me that he had trained his haki since Marineford, and that it can knock out 90,000 opponents." she muttered.

"Hmph. I shouldn't have expected any less. I'd venture a guess that Ryokugyu's is about as strong as Dragon's, given that he's likely at least as powerful as him."

"...A few questions." Luffy told her, making her glance over at them.

"...Ask away."

"Why is Dad so strong?" Luffy asked. Christina closed her eyes.

"Dragon's always had a lot of ambition in his life. Aaron? Want to elaborate?" she looked at me, as did everyone else.

"When Dragon was young, he wanted to surpass Garp, his own father, as a goal. But no one believed he could do it, and they all discouraged him. After all, Garp was a living legend, a Vice-Admiral who participated in many legendary battles, and who had constantly cornered Gold Roger. No one thought that anyone could compare, not even Garp's own child. So Dragon decided to prove them wrong, and train his body to the maximum. He mastered all three forms of haki by the age of 13, even younger than Christina and I were."

"Are you serious?!" they all yelled.

"Dragon found the Gale-Gale Fruit, the logia for wind, and mastered those powers soon afterwards. But it wasn't until after that that Dragon truly became powerful and surpassed Garp."

"What did he do?" asked Sanji.

"That's when he ate his second devil fruit and didn't die from it. He became the first person in the world that possessed two different devil fruits. He had the Gale-Gale Fruit, a logia, and an even more powerful one, the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, a mythical zoan. Dragon then decided to surpass Garp in rank as well, so he joined the Navy, and began as a Vice-Admiral after demonstrating his enormous power. After only 3 months of serving, he had achieved a perfect record, flawlessly completing dangerous and difficult missions. So when a position as an Admiral opened up, Dragon was the first choice, and after passing the exam on the first try, he had achieved the rank of Admiral at only 18 years old, the youngest in history."

"So he's a former admiral?!" screamed Usopp.

"A-At only 18?" Nami stammered. Everyone was in disbelief.

"Yes, but only for a short time." Christina answered. "Dragon served as an Admiral for only 3 years before leaving the Navy. He was fed up with the World Government, and decided to leave, vowing to stop them and create a new system."

"So he formed the Revolutionaries." Robin chimed in.

"Yes." I answered. "And before long, he was sought out by the Brotherhood's former mentor, Roger himself."

"Roger lead the Brotherhood before Dad?" Luffy asked.

"Yep. He was still the mentor when Christina and I joined, too, so we met him and knew him, if only for a short time before Garp captured him and he was executed. So Dragon took over as the Mentor."

"What was he like?" everyone asked.

"Like Luffy, but smarter." we both answered at the same time, making everyone laugh. Everyone except for Luffy, who just pouted.

"In addition, Dragon still has his Admiral Transformation, so he can transform a second time with his Dragon-Dragon Fruit."

"So his alias was-?" Zoro asked.

"Admiral Shiroryuu. The White Dragon."

"So that's it." Nami said. Everything was quiet for a few minutes.

"Did you have any other questions, Luffy?" Christina asked.

"Oh yeah. You mentioned that you passed by Akainu and he told you how strong his Conqueror's Haki is. Why would he bother to tell you that? And more importantly, if you're a top commanding officer of the Revolutionaries, and a Master Assassin as well, wouldn't he try to capture you, first chance he got?" Christina became sad, and looked away.

"I think I'll pass on that one. It's...complicated between the two of us."

"Complicated? How so?" asked Robin.

"..."

"Just tell them. It's not like you're on his side, anyway." I sighed, looking at her. She took a deep breath and looked Luffy dead in the eyes.

"Sakazuki...is my father…" she announced. Once again, everything was quiet for a few moments. After taking a minute to process the information, the rest of the Straw Hats were bewildered, but Luffy became angry and clenched his fists.

"Luffy, don't even think about it. Make one move and I won't hesitate to kill you." I told him in a menacing tone. He stopped and looked at me to see that I wasn't kidding around. Christina quickly explained her situation to them before Luffy decided to attack her for real.

"I ran away from Marineford, my home, when I was 15 years old, the same as when Aaron traveled with the captain. After seeing how the World Government handles some situations with cover ups and corruption, I decided that I didn't want to be a part of it, and set off to sea by myself to go against the World Government in some way, shape, or form. Along the way, I met Boa Hancock and her sisters and became good friends with them. But not too much later, I had heard that they had been captured by the Celestial Dragons and forced to be slaves. So I set out to Marineford to save them. And as luck would have it, the Sun Pirates were already there raiding the place and saving the slaves. I ran into Aaron by chance, and Fisher Tiger ended up inviting me to join the crew again. Aaron and I stayed with them for three years, until the captain's death and the splitting up of the crew. We left, and I went with him to join the Revolutionaries, and was appointed 3rd in command, just under him and Dragon. And I've been switching back and forth between that and a Master Assassin in the Brotherhood ever since." Luffy had relaxed now, and everyone had gotten over it.

"I-I see...I'm sorry I got so mad all of a sudden." Luffy apologized.

"It's fine, I understand. I never liked my father either. Anyways, we're here. This is Evergia." Christina announced as the ship docked at the port to the stone pavement city. It was a nice and peaceful place.

"There's a beach here!" Nami yelled excitedly.

"It looks tropical too. There's palm trees here." Robin added.

"Let's split up here, then. It's a peaceful town, so go shop around, explore the city, go to the beach, do whatever." I told them all.

"Great!" Luffy yelled. He stretched his arm and flew into the town.

 **X**

 _ **One Hour Earlier**_

"Finally, we're here. It takes too long to get here from Marineford." Arlong complained.

"You could have just traveled here by the ocean, you know. You're made of water…" Hawkins pointed out.

"..." Arlong facepalmed.

"...The Straw Hats aren't here yet. I can't sense them." Akainu mentioned.

"Okay then. Evergia's a nice place. Why don't we go and have some fun while we're waiting. But don't stay together in a huge place, it'll make you look suspicious."

"We've already announced the Order's existence and members to the entire world. As if we weren't already suspicious enough." Kid mumbled.

"Idea." Arlong said.

"What?" Ryokugyu asked.

"Just to make it interesting, why don't we capture each other's targets? Don't go after your own, first come, first serve, and when we have them, we bring them together to the beach, and meet up."

"That sounds like fun. Let's do it then."

 **X**

"...Okay, well I'm bored. I'm going to go get a drink." I said. I was walking with Christina. We found a bar and walked over to it, ordering two flavored cocktails. We turned around, trying to find a place to sit, when someone behind us whistled in a way where they wanted us to notice them. We turned around, and saw none other than Kizaru sitting at one of the tables, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Why don't you two come and sit with me?" he asked politely.

"...We'll pass, thanks." Christina answered, and we slowly turned on our heels, ready to leave, until we noticed Kizaru threateningly pointing his finger towards us, ready to fire a beam of light.

"I insist." We looked at each other before hurrying over to his table and sitting down with him.

"What do you need from us?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to enjoy a drink with you two before I go off and complete my mission."

"Capturing Sanji and Rayleigh?"

"Mmmm. Rayleigh isn't with you, though."

"No."

"Although I suppose it doesn't matter." And at that moment, everything went black for both myself and Christina. Two light clones of Kizaru had walked up from behind us and knocked us out.

"I was after you two this time." Kizaru smiled, finishing his cup of coffee.

 **X**

I slowly came to, feeling comfortable, as if I was laying on something soft. I blinked a few times, and saw that I was on the sand at the beach. I looked to my left and right and saw everyone else lying down on the sand, still sleeping.

"What happened? All I remember is Kizaru...bastard. There must be more of them on the island. I looked up and saw Arlong standing at the water, not too far away from us. He turned around and looked at me.

"Hey. Have a nice rest?" he smiled evilly. I rubbed my head and stood up, walking over to him.

"How many of you are here?"

"Every one of us."

"Even…"

"Yep. Big Man's here too."

"Damn it."

"Hehe. I don't think that you guys will stand a chance against us. You already saw how Mihawk worked out at Solacia. And Shanks and Dragon, your two trump cards, aren't here with you. And if you try to escape, we'll hunt you down, even on your ship."

"You think you can?" I asked, grinning.

"Maybe not you, but anyone else, no problem, without hesitating. And as for you, Ryokugyu can take care of you easily."

"You wanna bet?"

"Why don't you show me the strength of the Straw Hat Pirates, the new and improved ones that I haven't experienced since my fight with your captain."

"Alright. You asked for it. Haki Healing." I shot a blast of haki into each of them, waking them up. Arlong sighed, and turned to all of them.

"Alright, which one of you wants to die first?" he grinned at them all. They all went on their guard.

"How about me?" Christina stepped forward.

"Really? You want to take me on first? I was going to save you until the end, Christina."

"Too bad." Immediately after she said that, she appeared below him and kicked him in the chin, knocking him back onto the sand.

"You were saying? You thought you could beat all of us?" Arlong stood up again and rubbed his chin.

"I was saying that you never stood a chance." He said, quickly reforming his chin out of water.

"A d-devil fruit?" she asked.

"Right. Do you know why I was picked to be a Warlord? It's not just because I'm a Master Templar. It's because of my powers. I ate the Wave-Wave Fruit, the logia for water. Do you realize what that means?" He looked from Christina to Luffy to Chopper, to Robin, and to Brook.

"Every Devil Fruit user's weakness is water. So with the exceptions of Aaron and the Templars, I can defeat any devil fruit user with little effort. Each member of the Templars has a cross around their neck that acts as their badge of office. It has the power to allow them to swim, even if they're devil fruit users, which all of them are anyways. As for each member's individual strength, I'm ranked as the second strongest Warlord, after Hawkeye."

"Then explain to me why Fujitora isn't a Master Templar and both you and Mihawk are." I told him.

"Fujitora only became an Admiral through the World Government's Military Draft. And that's the only reason why he's a member of the Order. The rest of us were sought out by Ryokugyu and Akainu themselves. Ryokugyu makes it a point that all of the Admirals be members of the Order. You did know that Aokiji was a member too before he left, right?" he asked, grinning.

"Besides, I've been in contact with Ryokugyu long before I joined the Order. Remember Cocoyashi?" Nami gritted her teeth, and without warning, Luffy ran up to him and fired a hardened punch at him. But it was blocked by Arlong's own hand, also hardened in haki. Luffy stepped back, shocked.

"That's right...you didn't know, did you? I've taken **quite** a step up since you last saw me. Besides my devil fruit, I can use all three types of haki."

"Prove it!" Luffy yelled. "Gum Gum Gatling!" Luffy threw a flurry of punches at the Master Templar. However, Arlong easily dodged every single punch, and after the attack, he hardened his foot and kicked Luffy square in the stomach, sending him flying through the forest.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Arlong stopped her from running to save the rubber man by blasting a wave of Conqueror's Haki at everybody, knocking Brook, Chopper, and Usopp out. Nami turned towards him angry, and blasted her own conqueror's haki at him, catching him off guard. Then she quickly took out her clima-tact and hardened it with Armament Haki.

"Thunderbolt Tempo!" she yelled before blasting an immensely powerful thunder blast down on him. After the dust cleared, Arlong stood injured, blood all over his body. He looked PISSED.

"Damn it! Who would have thought that someone like you has haki too! You know Nami, I bet you're thinking that I'm going to take you alive to make you draw charts and maps again. But the situation's changed. With my boss as powerful as he is, I have no need for someone like you anymore. I won't hesitate to kill either you or Luffy!" he yelled.

"NEPTUNE'S FURY!" he yelled before he was engulfed in a pillar of water. When it cleared, Arlong stood cloaked in water, with his eyes glowing aqua. His Templar necklace was now glowing black. He grabbed his Kiribachi from his back and hardened it with haki, turning it completely black. He rushed at Nami before she could even react, and was about to make contact and slash her in half.

"L-LUFFY!" she shrieked in horror.

"RED HAWK!" he yelled, flying out of the forest and slamming his fist into his stomach, sending him flying back into the water.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" he screamed at him.

"Water Pistol!" Arlong yelled, shooting bullets of water and haki into Luffy's chest, making him cough up blood. He teleported in front of him and formed a bubble around his head, trying to make him drown. He grabbed his throat and lifted him off the ground.

"I told you, YOU CAN'T WIN, STRAW HAT!" he yelled.

"Demon Mode: Phase 2!"

"Moonlight Goddess!" Christina's powers changed her clothes to her moonlight dress and I became cloaked in my Demon Mode, and we both kicked Arlong away from Luffy, making him fall onto the sand and cough up both blood and water. Nami ran to his side.

"Damn you two...FINE! Haki Healing!" All of Arlong's wounds disappeared, and he stood at his full power, stronger than ever. Christina rushed up to him and began to unleash a barrage of finger pistols, all of which he dodged.

"Tempest Kick!" She slashed waves of wind energy towards him with her legs, but he sliced all of them apart, rendering them useless.

"Rokuougan!" she yelled, placing her fists on top of each other, and unleashing a massive burst of energy through his chest. But he grinned at her, having not taken any damage.

"Haki doesn't work on me, Christina." He punched her across the face hard, sending her into a tree. "You see, water is the element of life. So my endurance is much higher than any one of you. When you possess the logia water fruit, not only do normal attacks not work, but neither does haki!"

'That can't be true. Then why did…' Nami thought.

"Arlong, calm down. Remember why we came here." said a voice that was all too familiar to Luffy and I. At that moment, magma formed next to Arlong, and before long, Akainu himself stood in front of everyone. Arlong composed himself and released his powers and sheathed his sword, going back to normal.

"Saka." I said, glaring at him. He looked around at the whole crew nonchalantly.

'So that's him? The one Luffy swore revenge upon?' Nami thought. 'His haki's unbelievable. I can barely breathe just feeling his pressure!'

"Where's the rest of you?" asked Christina.

"Right here." she heard another voice. Everyone looked behind them to see both Kid and Hawkins walk out of the forest and stand near the other two. A flash of lightning occurred, and Mihawk appeared next to all of them. Kizaru did the same, teleporting using his light abilities. Fujitora slowly walked over as well. Crocodile appeared with his sand powers, followed by Kuma. All but one of them was missing.

"...Where's-" I began.

"Miss me?" Ryokugyu teleported in front of all of them, sighing.

"Where were you?" I asked. "You look like you just fought someone."

"That's because I was. I was off slaughtering Blackbeard's armada." Everyone's eyes widened.

"And?" asked Kid. "How did it go?"

"Complete annihilation. It's about time that thorn in our side was removed." he smiled.

"So then Blackbeard is…" Luffy began.

"Dead. I killed him myself. So I'm afraid that there's only three Emperors of the New World right now." Luffy looked down.

"Oh, that's right, you wanted to get revenge on him for capturing Ace. He was the one responsible for the execution and all that? I assure you, that's not the case, Luffy."

"What do you mean?" he asked. I knew where this was going.

"You see, Teach is the type that gets careless. He takes too long with his fights. So when he was fighting Ace, the two of them were getting nowhere, there was no winning or losing side. So he got a bit of help." Ryokugyu smirked.

"Y-You don't mean-" Luffy's face became angry.

"That's right, it's exactly as you think. I showed up and finished the battle myself. With a power like the Dark Dark fruit, I needed to keep a close eye on Teach. So I made a deal with him. I'd let him take the credit for capturing Ace, and let him take Crocodile's position as a Warlord, which at the time was open, since the whole Alabasta thing. He happily accepted. After a while, I invited him to join the Order, but he quickly declined. He said that he didn't want to guide the world, he wanted to send it spiraling into utter chaos. So he took advantage of your Impel Down break in, and showed up unauthorized, recruiting multiple dangerous criminals into his crew, having them become commanders of his fleet. And then he showed up at Marineford again, fighting Whitebeard and killing him, then stealing his Tremor Tremor powers for himself, taking his place as Emperor successively. He hadn't really made any serious movements since then, until after Dressrosa, when some of his men tailed Sabo back to the island of Baltigo. Since Dragon, Sabo, and Christina were gone, with all of you over at Zou, it was the perfect time to strike. But it was also the perfect time for me, since once again, Dragon wasn't around. So I decided to take action and move around to every officer and fleet, destroying them until I reached Teach himself, and easily killed him."

"Wouldn't you want them to tear up the Revolutionaries anyway? We directly oppose the World Government's authority."

"True, but Dragon's not one that you want to make angry, unless I'm around. If he had found out, he would have attacked HQ, and if I was out fighting one of the Emperors, then who would stop him? We wouldn't have stood a chance. But enough about that. I came here for a different reason. Aaron, you of all people should know that I'm not much for subtlety." he smiled at me.

"Well, considering that you announced the entire existence of the Order and all of your targets to the entire world, I'd say that's an accurate statement, yes."

"I'm growing tired of this whole Assassin Templar conflict between all of us. So I want to end it all at once. On Raften, there's a Coliseum that we can fight in. Bring all of your Master Assassins, and meet us there. We'll settle everything then."

"..."

"What? What is it?" he frowned.

"...You had all of us captured and brought here, fought Arlong, and went through a whole speech just to tell us that? You could have just called, you know."

"I told you, I'm not one for subtlety."

"That's not subtlety, that's stupid. You could have spared us the whole expense, and just called us over our Transponder Snail to tell us. You would have kept Arlong's powers a secret too, but now we know."

"Fine. You want to know why I did it this way? It's because it won't matter anyway. You'll all fall. I think that that's already been displayed. Your targets. Do you think Franky can defeat Kuma without using haki? Do you think that Robin can defeat Crocodile all by herself, also without using haki? Can Chopper and Brook take down Hawkins on their own? Can Law and Usopp stop Kid's rampage? Clearly from what happened today, Nami and Jinbei are not strong enough to take on Arlong. From what happened on Solacia, neither Zoro nor Hancock could stand up to Hawkeye. From how Dressrosa went, do you think that Sabo and Christina could take down Fujitora? Can Sanji and Rayleigh stop Kizaru? Are Luffy and Shanks prepared to defeat Akainu? And can you and Dragon defeat me? If I recall correctly, both you and Luffy, using your full powers, could barely defeat a clone of me with only half of my full battle capacity. You know how this is going to end." I gritted my teeth.

"I suppose that's all then. The next time we meet will be the last. Get to Raften whenever you can. Everything is riding on it. Think about it. If everything goes in your favor, all of your dreams will become accomplished. All of the Templars defeated, the One Piece found, becoming the strongest swordsman, mapping the world. I'm looking forward to it." And with that, they left.

 **X**

"Is that right?"

"Yes. Those were his exact words."

"I see. Well then, I guess we'll be there. Why don't you stay in Evergia for now, and we'll all head over. We're not that far away."

"Alright. I'll see you later then, Dragon." I hung up and relaxed on one of the lounge chairs. After about an hour or so, their ships docked next to ours. All of the Master Assassins had shown up, and we sailed out of port, towards Raften, to end everything once and for all.

 **End.**


	20. Raften: Templar Tournament

**I've decided to do something that I think will be both really cool and really fun to write. After the Templar Tournament, when Ryokugyu and all of the Templars are defeated, the story will continue on with the events of Unlimited World Red, but an amped up and modified version based on this story. So, more islands and characters, like Sabo, Christina, Dragon, and more, will also be included. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are too. Now for the next topic: the story after this. I'm not sure how long the last part of The Order is going to be, but I'll probably do a few islands per chapter. I have a few small unfinished stories for Bleach and One Piece, and I'm almost done with Princess of Alvarez, but other than that, PM me with ideas! I will write anything for the following: Attack on Titan, Bleach, Fairy Tail, Naruto, One Piece, Pokemon X/Y, or Yugioh (any of them). As for the couples that I write for, I believe in the following: Eren x Historia, Ichigo x Orihime, Natsu x Lucy, Mavis x Zeref, Erza x Jellal, Mira x Laxus, Gray x Juvia, any of the Naruto Shippuden canon couples (Epilogue Marriages), Luffy x Nami, Zoro x Robin, Calem x Serena, Jaden x Alexis, Yusei x Akiza, Yuma x Tori, Yuma x Rio, Yuya x Yuzu, and Yuya x Serena. Let me know what you'd like, and if it involves romance, what couple you'd like. Also, a small note on Zoro's techniques. Yama is a god of death and hell in Hinduism, and Shiva is known as the God of Destruction and Transformation in Hinduism. Just because I wanted a deity that was a higher rank than Asura for the techniques. Thanks and enjoy!**

 **Songs**

 **Luffy and Nami: Rainy [Piano Cover] (Fairy Tail OST)**

 **Arriving at Raften: The Very Very Very Strongest (One Piece OST)**

 **The Coliseum: Luffy's Fierce Attack (One Piece OST)**

 **Franky vs. Kuma: Karakuri Defense System, Activate! (One Piece OST)**

 **General Franky: Franky's theme (One Piece OST)**

 **Death of Kuma: Bloodlines (AC Syndicate Soundtrack)**

 **Crocodile vs. Robin: Clavar la Espada (Bleach OST)**

 **Dragon vs. Crocodile: Luffy vs. Ratchet Round 1 (One Piece OST)**

 **Chopper and Brook vs. Hawkins: Kakuzu's Theme (Naruto Shippuden OST)**

 **Law and Usopp vs. Kid: Mystogan's Theme (Fairy Tail OST)**

 **Kid's Cross and Sabo vs. Kid: Released Power (Fairy Tail OST)**

 **Christina vs. Fujitora: Heat of the Battle (Bleach OST)**

 **Selene's Judgement: A Requiem (Bleach OST)**

 **Christina's Memories: Nothing can be Explained [With Vocals] (Bleach OST)**

 **Nami and Jinbei vs. Arlong: Duel of the Fates (Star Wars Episode I Soundtrack)**

 **Luffy and Nami vs. Arlong: I Still Have a Soul (Epic Score)**

 **Arlong beats Luffy and Nami: I Will Beat You (One Piece OST)**

 **Luffy's Rage: Luffy vs. Ratchet Round 2 (One Piece OST)**

 **Zoro and Mihawk's Entrance: Mihawk's Theme (One Piece OST)**

 **Zoro vs. Mihawk Begins: The Battle Begins (Yugioh Arc-V OST)**

 **Zoro Cracks Yoru: Karakuri Defense System, Activate! (One Piece OST)**

 **Zoro vs. Transformed Mihawk: Breakthrough Even (Bleach OST)**

 **Zoro's Last Stand: Unstoppable Forces (Epic Score)**

 **Zoro's True Power: MKAlieZ part 1 (Aldnoah Zero OST)**

 **Zoro's Victory: Rittaikidou part 1 (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Rayleigh and Sanji vs. Kizaru: Giant Stronghold, Takeoff (One Piece OST)**

 **Kizaru Gets Serious: Powerful Enemies [Kizaru's Theme] (One Piece OST)**

 **Aaron vs. Kizaru: Duel of the Fates (Star Wars Soundtrack)**

 **Luffy and Shanks vs. Akainu: Training of One's Past (Asura's Wrath OST)**

 **Akainu vs. Christina: Asura's Wrath Main Theme (Asura's Wrath OST)**

 **Luffy vs. Akainu: The Eleven Supernovas (One Piece OST)**

 **Luffy 5th Gear and Defeating Akainu: I Will Surpass You (One Piece OST)**

 **Dragon vs. Ryokugyu: Archangel (Two Steps From Hell)**

 **Dragon and Ryokugyu Transformations: MKAlieZ part 2 (Aldnoah Zero OST)**

 **White Dragon vs. Golden Bull: Ultimate Power (Epic Score)**

 **Aita's Armor: Counter Attack-Mankind (Attack on Titan OST)**

 **Dragon's Defeat: Huge Dragon on the Move (Fairy Tail OST)**

 **Demon Mode Phase 3: SSG Vegeta Theme (The Enigma TNG)**

Although all of the ships were sailing besides each other, all of the Brotherhood's members were currently on the Thousand Sunny. But someone was missing.

"Hey Luffy, where's your girlfriend?" Sabo asked.

"Nami? Ummm...I don't know."

"She's been in the women's quarters since this morning. She doesn't want anyone to disturb her." Robin answered, taking a sip of her drink. Luffy stood up and walked over towards the door.

"Luffy, she just said she didn't want anyone to disturb her." Sanji said. Luffy ignored him and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Luffy looked at Sanji again and stuck his tongue out, angering the chef, making Jinbei have to restrain him from fighting his captain. Luffy walked in and closed the door behind him. The whole room was dark, and from the little bit of sunlight coming in, he could see that Nami was lying down on the bed, her head buried in her pillow. Luffy laid down next to her and put his arms behind his head, relaxing into his own side of the bed. Nami slowly turned over, facing him.

"Luffy…" she said, her eyes red.

"...You've been crying…" She slowly nodded her head, as another tear fell from her eye.

"How come?"

"Because...you and I almost…"

"Died? By Arlong's hand?"

"I don't ever want that to happen. I don't want any one of us to die to someone like him." she seethed.

"...Nami, don't worry about it."

"But I am worried! Because of what he said! He said that his powers prevent haki from working on him! And that means that you won't be able to save me…"

"...Maybe you don't need to be saved this time."

"W-What? Are you saying you don't care about me?!" she asked, offended.

"Of course not. But this time, like you said, I can't beat him, his powers wouldn't allow it. But didn't you notice something when we fought him? Your lightning attack did hurt him." Nami's eyes widened.

"Well, yeah, but...I don't know why. I feel like he did that to make us have a false sense of security."

"That wasn't it. Devil Fruits don't work like that. I mean, look at me." Luffy pulled on his arm, stretching it out. "I can't just stop my rubber powers all of a sudden to make myself take an attack that's not powered by haki. So why should it be any different for him? That lightning damaged him for real, and I think I know why." Nami listened intently. What Luffy was saying made sense.

"Why? Why did it?"

"Do you remember when I fought Eneru on Skypiea? The only one who could fight him was me, because lightning doesn't hurt a rubber man like myself. I was the only one who his powers didn't work against." Luffy closed his eyes. "Arlong is the opposite."

"What?" Nami asked, startled.

"Water conducts electricity. Remember what he said? He claimed he could take on any devil fruit user because of his water powers, EXCEPT for Hawkeye. He outright said that he was the second strongest Warlord after him. And that makes sense. Mihawk is made of lightning. So the only ones who can take him down are people with lightning based attacks." He pointed at her. "Like you."

"Luffy, you saw me fight him. With his full power, I didn't even last 5 seconds against him!"

"Nami, you know that I'll help you out. I'll do anything to free you from him. After all, you're the one who's going to be the Pirate Queen." he smirked. Nami's face turned beet red. Just then, they heard a knock on the door.

"It's me." answered Christina.

"What is it?"

"We're here. We arrived in Raften." Luffy and Nami jumped off of the bed, and walked out onto the deck.

"So this might be where the One Piece is Luffy…" Usopp muttered.

"Yeah...The next Pirate King and Queen…" he said, once again making Nami blush. Everyone else's jaws dropped to the ground while others just smiled. The ship docked, and everyone walked off onto the island.

"...I thought this place was supposed to be mysterious and unknown." Sanji complained.

"Not quite." Dragon said.

"You've been here before?" everyone asked.

"Yes." he answered.

"You have?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Roger took me here while I worked under him. He kept the island's details a secret between himself and his crew only. Because of the nature of the island, if people really knew what kind of place it was, it would get too crowded, and problems would cumulate."

"What kind of island is it?" asked Nami, curious.

"...The world's most exquisite and expensive resort."

"...Where'd Christina go?" I asked, noticing she was gone. Everyone looked down the beach to see her sprinting towards the resort.

"ME FIRST!" she screamed. We all sighed and ran after her. We walked into the city, looking around in awe. Skyscraper Hotels, tropical bars, pools, hot tubs, palm trees, and beaches could be seen everywhere. We finally caught up with Christina, who had stopped, and was looking at someone. Kid.

"I'm glad you're finally here. I'm here to escort you all to the coliseum where the tournament will take place. Follow me." He smiled, leading everyone into a golden coliseum.

"Wow...It's even bigger than the one is Dressrosa!" Luffy said, excitedly.

"That's right...I forgot that you participated in that. What was the outcome anyway?" asked Franky.

"Well, I won my block, and then I let Sabo take my place in order for me to break away and go stop Mingo. Obviously, Sabo won and ate the Flare Flare Fruit."

"Well, I'm glad it was you and not someone else from the Donquixote family." Usopp complimented Sabo.

"That wouldn't have happened anyways. Any member of the Donquixote family wouldn't stand a chance against me. The Navy challenged me after the coliseum fights, and I defeated one of their Vice-Admirals in under 3 minutes."

"Wow…Again, I'm glad you're on our side." Sanji said.

"Well, that was the least of our problems. While Luffy was busy fighting Doflamingo, I was preoccupied with fighting Fujitora, who ranks higher than him in the Order. He's the one who gave me trouble. We were at a stalemate throughout the whole battle, as neither of us ended up injuring the other."

"Well, this time will be different." Dragon said.

"Yes. Although Fujitora was holding back when he fought me. But then again, so was I." he smirked.

"Well, go take your seats. Everything will be settled before long." Kid told them.

"Which seats are ours?" Luffy asked.

"The balcony up there. You can get there taking the stairs. We're over there on the other balcony." He motioned over to a balcony where the rest of the Templars were standing, and Ryokugyu was lounging in a throne chair. We all walked up the stairs and then took our seats on the balcony. We looked around the coliseum and saw all different types of spectators seated: marines, revolutionaries, assassins, kuja women, and fishmen. Just then, Ryokugyu stood up and everything became quiet.

"Listen up! Today marks the beginning of the end! This is the final confrontation between the New World's Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order. I'm sure you all saw the Templars pick their targets back at Marineford. So here's how this is going to work: the corresponding Assassin and Templar will fight each other. The match will be decided when one of them is either dead or unable to fight. As an additional rule, one additional assassin will be able to join in and aid their allies in the fight. However, if more than one joins, then we are allowed to send another one of ours in. Are we good? Good. The first match will be Cyborg Franky vs. Bartholomew Kuma!"

"Good luck." Luffy told him, as Franky walked down the stairs and into the arena. Kuma walked in shortly after.

"Begin when you're ready." Ryokugyu announced, sitting back down in his throne.

"You know...I haven't forgotten what you did for us...both times on Sabaody. Saving us from Kizaru, and guarding the Sunny for two years. Why are you with the Templars?"

"...The world needs Order."

"Does it now? And you think that this kind of Order that your boss is offering is the right kind?"

"...Yes."

"Fine, then. I suppose there's no other way to settle this. Strong Right!" Franky ran up to Kuma and punched him hard across the face. When Kuma looked back, part of his skin was punched off, so his cybernetics were showing. Franky smiled.

"Did you choose me as a target because we're both cyborgs?" Kuma's insides fixed themselves, and his skin regenerated. Then he teleported behind Franky and took off his gloves. Franky whirled around and opened his left hand.

"Weapons Left!" After firing a barrage of rockets and cannonballs at Kuma, a smoke cloud and a few explosions occurred. But when the smoke cleared, Kuma revealed that he had blocked all of the hits with his paws. He then began thrusting his palms through the air, sending repelled air blasts towards Franky.

"Pad Ho."

'I know this move.' Franky glared at him. He jumped back and started firing weapons towards the blasts, intercepting them, and making them explode.

"Clearly, this is going to take forever if we continue on like this. So why don't I end this now? Iron Pirate: General Franky!" Franky's trump card flew down into the ring, and Franky climbed into the cockpit, getting it ready.

"THERE IT IS!" yelled Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp in unison, stars glowing in their eyes.

"I hope you're ready to lose, Kuma!" he yelled from inside the robot. Then Kuma created an enormous bubble of air.

"That's-" I began.

"Yeah. That's the same move he almost killed us with." Zoro finished.

"I'm not going to take that sitting down!" General Franky's arms revealed a small air cannon similar to Sunny's cannon. He began charging it up. Kuma released his attack towards his target.

"Ursus Shock." At the same time, Franky fired.

"General Cannon!" Franky fired his strongest attack towards the other one. Kuma then controlled it so that it would detonate early. The two attacks collided, creating a huge explosion and wind blast, which blew around the entire coliseum. After the entire thing subsided, both Kuma and Franky were gravely injured from the shockwave.

"...I guess I should finish this now." Kuma used his palms to extract all of his damage, making a red air bubble. Then he expanded it and contracted it in the same way that he fires Ursus Shock. Ryokugyu smiled, and Dragon and I stepped back suddenly.

"If he does that, Franky won't stand a chance!"

"What?!" everyone else yelled.

"When Kuma uses red air bubbles, they're much more powerful than his normal white ones!"

"URSUS SHOCK!" he yelled as he fired it at Franky. Franky blasted another General Cannon at it, but after the red Ursus Shock expanded, it quickly overpowered Franky's own attack and obliterated his Iron Pirate.

"Franky!" Luffy shouted. The entire robot was destroyed, and Franky was face down on the ground, covered in blood. Kuma started walking towards him to finish him off.

"No! He'll die if this goes on!" Robin said worriedly.

"Now then, Cyborg Franky...I suppose it's time...to finish you…" he stood over an unconscious Franky. Then I remembered what Ryokugyu said. One of us was allowed to jump in and aid them. There wouldn't be any interference unless more than one of us joined. I closed my eyes and sighed. The next thing that Kuma saw was me standing over Franky's body, blocking his path.

"Y-You-" But before he could finish his sentence, I had hardened my fist and charged it up with chaos, smashing it through his chest and out the other side, making everyone gasp. I flipped over and landed behind him. Kuma fell onto his knees and coughed up blood. I looked behind myself at him.

"I'm surprised you had any blood left in that cybernetic mind-controlled body of yours. I wish you hadn't betrayed us, Kuma." I looked at him sadly.

"Goodbye." I walked over to Franky, who was still unconscious, and picked him up, lifting him over my shoulder. I walked away and back up the stairs. Ryokugyu sighed.

"What a surprise...not. I knew that Aaron would end up finishing him by joining in. Someone go get his body. I suppose we'll give it back to Vegapunk, although I don't think he'll want to repair him." I brought Franky over to one of the beds in the infirmary, and Chopper began treating his wounds.

"You did well, Franky." Usopp said, standing at his side.

"Aaron, you saved his life." Robin said, looking at me.

"I know. But I ended up killing one of my friends too." I said, standing by myself.

"It had to happen, and you were prepared for it." Christina reassured me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"He's the same as Arlong. Even though he betrayed us, he's still my friend deep down...Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Let's go out and continue this. Chopper, can you keep treating him?"

"Of course!" The rest of us walked out onto the balcony again. Ryokugyu made another announcement.

"Okay, well, that was an interesting opening battle, even though we lost the round. Why don't we move on? Next match! Who wants to go?" he looked around at his subordinates.

"How about me?" Crocodile dispersed into sand and then appeared in the ring again. "Why don't you come down here, and then we can finish this? Nico Robin." Robin stared at him for a moment before turning and walking down the stairs towards the arena.

"She'd better win." Nami said, holding onto Luffy.

"Begin when you're ready."

"Mil Fleur, Gigantesco Mano, Slap!" Robin created a huge hand and smacked Crocodile across the arena, who couldn't care less. He simply reformed again.

"You know, it's really fortunate for me that you're my target. First of all, we have a history together. And second, you can't use haki, which means you won't win." He turned into sand once again and teleported behind Robin.

"Desert Spada!" He created a long dagger made of sand and launched it at her. Robin tried to block it with her gigantesco mano, but it didn't work, and went through her, making her cough up blood.

"Robin!" Nami yelled from the balcony. Crocodile released his powers.

"Mil Fleur, Gigantesco Mano, Slap!" Robin created a giant hand above Crocodile and slapped him into the water surrounding the ring. Although it hurt, she used it in the water as well to slap him out and back onto the ring.

"Mil Fleur, Gigantesco Mano, Stomp!" She created a pair of giant legs and continuously stomped him now that he was able to be hurt by her.

"She remembered how I beat him!" Luffy said excitedly. Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"When I fought him, I couldn't use haki yet, so I poured water on myself and made him wet so I could hit him. Robin's using that same concept here." Robin released her technique, and Crocodile slowly stood up, dripping with both water and blood.

"Well done, you've defeated a clone." he smiled. The sand dissipated and the real one formed without a scratch on him. Robin gasped and before she could react, Crocodile rushed up to her and grabbed her by the throat.

"I'm sure you remember that my powers can drain someone of all moisture in their bodies when I touch them, right?" he smiled evilly.

"Robin, no!" Zoro yelled, and was about to jump down, but Dragon beat him to it. Crocodile stopped immediately, and everyone else was on the edge of their seat, even the admirals, as they hadn't seen the full extent of Dragon's power in a long time.

"Dragon. I can do the same thing to you, if you wish. All I have to do is touch you, and I win."

"Good luck with that." Before Crocodile could blink, Dragon hardened his arm with armament haki and delivered a devastating punch to his face. The sheer force of the attack cracked and shattered the ring. Before Robin fell into the water, Dragon picked her up and tossed her towards us, where Sanji ended up catching her and bringing her to the infirmary with Chopper and Franky.

"Damn You! Sables!" Crocodile sent a giant sandstorm towards Dragon, but it was dispersed just as quickly.

"What?!" When the sand cleared, Dragon stood cloaked in a massive gale of green wind.

"Didn't you know? I possess the Gale Gale Fruit, which means I am the wind, and the wind is me. What can your sand do if it is blown away? Hurricane!" Dragon sliced his hand across the sky, making a very powerful wind blow around the entire island.

"T-This weather! I've felt it before! In Loguetown!" Nami yelled amidst the ensuing windstorm.

"It's the same one. That was Dragon who caused it." I told her. Dragon sent the windstorm towards Crocodile, who was then slashed around by the attack, and fell into the water. The wind blew him out of the water and back into what was left of the ring where he then continuously punched him with haki, until he fell over, unconscious. Dragon sighed and walked away.

"Aren't you going to kill him?" asked Ryokugyu.

"What for? You said that the rules of the tournament were that when the opponent couldn't fight any longer, the match was over. The only one that we need to kill is you, and maybe Sakazuki, depending on Luffy." Dragon walked back up the stairs, and back to the balcony. Meanwhile, Kizaru went down and carried Crocodile back up to the rest of the Templars, where the Marine doctors were giving him medical treatment. Ryokugyu was starting to lose his cool.

"Law, could you fix the arena?" he yelled over.

"Room." Law used his powers on the ring to put it back together.

"Next fight." Ryokugyu said, frowning.

"Then I suppose it's my turn." Hawkins said, walking down the stairs and into the arena.

"It's your turn, guys." Sabo said, looking at both Chopper and Brook. They walked down and into the arena.

"Brook, we can beat him. Unlike the past two battles, he chose two different targets, which means that we can overpower him by working together."

"Think that all you want, but I can take the both of you on at once. And before you ask, we all know your true abilities, reindeer. Your powers. I know that I can still beat you."

"Why don't you prove it?! Horn Point!" Chopper's horns grew, and he rushed towards Hawkins at a blinding speed. Hawkins was impaled by his horns, and afterwards Brook rushed over and stabbed him with his sword, leaving everyone surprised.

"If we want to win this thing, then we can't hold back. We can't worry about fatally injuring our opponents or not!" Chopper clarified for everyone.

"Before you worry about fatal injuries, how about you concern yourself with injuring your opponent at all?" Hawkins asked, as two Revolutionary soldiers in the crowd suddenly collapsed in their seat. At that point, Hawkins grabbed his sword and slashed both of them with a horizontal slice, knocking them back.

"CHOPPER!" Nami screamed, seeing a small pool of blood fall out of the reindeer's torso. They both looked up at Hawkins, who was unharmed. Just then, they saw two small straw voodoo dolls come out of his arm and fall onto the ground. He looked down at them.

'That's two. Eight left.' Chopper looked in the audience and saw the two dead Revolutionaries.

'What's up with that? I need to confirm something.'

"Brook, attack him one more time!"

"You got it! Hanauta Sancho: Yahazu Giri!" he yelled, slashing Hawkins multiple times, and then sheathing his sword after walking past him. Once again, Hawkins didn't do anything. Chopper was watching him intently with his Brain Point. He then noticed him glance into the crowd quickly as another Revolutionary soldier fell with slashes in the same pattern as Brook's move. Another doll fell out of Hawkins' arm.

'I thought so! Got it! His weakness!'

"Brook! I've figured it out! His weakness!" Brook jumped back next to him.

"What is it?"

"His devil fruit has a power where he can transfer any damage he takes to someone else nearby. Each time that he gets fatally wounded, he transfers it to someone else, and then uses up one of those dolls in his arm. I'm sure he has a limit, so if we can get him enough to use up all of his dolls, we'll be able to hurt him for real. The problem is, we don't know how many times he can use the technique. So we just have to keep going!"

"You got it!"

"Hmph. So you figured it out. But now that you have, I'm not going to stand here and take your attacks anymore." Hawkins took out his sword again, and this time rushed towards Brook and began exchanging blows with their swords.

"Soul Solid!" Brook yelled, imbuing his sword with a cold wind and freezing it. His strikes became more powerful, and was able to freeze Hawkins' own sword, shattering it. He then stabbed him 8 times. Hawkins jumped back, and seven dolls fell out of his arms, while one small spot of blood bled through his coat from his shoulder.

"Yes! He's used them all!" Chopper yelled. "Heavy Point!" Chopper ran over to Hawkins, but was intercepted and slashed by a bunch of levitating red and yellow tarot cards. Chopper and Brook looked at him, and saw him controlling the cards with his hands.

"Yes, besides my sword, I can use my cards as weapons. Like so." Hawkins swiped his hand at Chopper, and all of the cards made a straight line that slashed across Chopper's torso, once again causing blood to spill out from him.

"Ahhhh!"

"Chopper!" everyone screamed again.

"Monster Point!" He yelled after eating a Rumble Ball. He transformed again, and stared Hawkins down in his monster form. Hawkins didn't seem fazed whatsoever. He took his cards back, and put them away. Brook once again used Soul Solid. Hawkins sighed, and looked at both of them.

"Well clearly, now that you're that big, my cards won't work on you anymore. So I suppose I should use my own transformation. Demon Conquering Mode." Hawkins' body became covered in straw, the same material as the voodoo dolls.

"What kind of transformation is that?!" Brook yelled. Hawkins stood almost as tall as Chopper's monster point, in his transformed state. He looked like a giant scarecrow. Before Chopper could see him move, Hawkins jumped up and slashed Chopper across the front multiple times, making blood pour out, and before long, his transformation was undone, and he fell forward onto the ground, unconscious.

"CHOPPER!" everyone else screamed. Brook rushed up to him and was about to stab him when Hawkins grabbed his sword right out of his hands and slashed Brook across the front too, sending him straight towards the water.

"Brook! No!" Luffy yelled. But before Brook could fall into the water, Zoro caught him and rushed over to Chopper as well, bringing them both up to the balcony.

"Heal them! I'll deal with him!" Zoro yelled, landing back into the arena.

"Roronoa Zoro…" Hawkins acknowledged. "Our bounties are equal, you know. Both 320 million. As a fellow Supernova, I get excited whenever I fight someone in the same league as myself. So you'll forgive me if I don't hold back like I did with those two?" he asked, now hardening his demon form's arms with haki. Zoro smirked and took out his swords, imbuing all of them with his own haki.

"So you want to see the difference between us? Fine. One Sword Style: 108 Pound Phoenix!" Zoro launched his flying slash attack at Hawkins, who's demon form was instantly split in half, making him revert to his base form.

"Wh-What?!"

"Three Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds!" Zoro started spinning his swords around like a helicopter blade, and rushed past Hawkins, slashing him straight across the front, making him fall over, unconscious. Zoro sheathed his swords and walked past him.

"The gap between us? It's wide. You're nothing compared to him." Zoro said, walking past him and back up to the balcony where everyone else was. The Templars grabbed Hawkins' body and healed him along with the others.

"Thank you, Zoro." Luffy told him.

"Don't thank me. It goes without saying that I'd save any one of us in an instant. How are they?"

"I healed them all with haki, but they still need to take it easy." Christina told him.

"Let's go back out. The next match is going to happen." They all walked out again and saw Kid standing in the ring already.

"How long are you two going to make me wait?" he yelled up, smiling.

"...It's our turn, Long-Nose. Let's go." Law told him. Usopp reluctantly followed him down into the ring, preparing to take down one of the strongest Supernovas, in league with Luffy.

"I'm going to start right away." Kid took out his pistol and unsheathed his dagger. He aimed at Usopp and fired, but he used his Observation Haki to dodge it without moving. Kid ran towards him and continued firing, while Usopp continued dodging. He started slashing the dagger towards him as well, using the two weapons in a combo, and succeeded in cutting Usopp's face.

"Room! Shambles!" Law yelled, creating a large force field around the three of them. He swapped positions with one of the bullets, and countered Kid's dagger with his own sword. The bullet that swapped with Law flew towards Kid, but he knocked it away with his robotic arm. But that split second knocked him off guard long enough for Law to smack the dagger and pistol out of his hands and slice him across the chest with his sword. Kid got knocked back, but healed himself with haki. He threw off his coat, leaving just his black shirt. He grinned.

"Repulsion!" Kid created a few clusters of metal and shot them towards the two, who just barely dodged due to the speed of them.

"Over the two years since the war, I overcame the fatal flaw in my devil fruit through training. Now I don't have to be near metal in order to use it, I can create it myself! Attraction!" Kid started ricocheting the clusters off of the arena. This time, they hit both Usopp and Law hard in the back, making them cough up blood and fall onto their knees.

"Observation Haki doesn't work against ricocheting attacks. You can't predict random movements." he grinned at them.

"Grghh...Maybe not, but this can! ROOM!" Law quickly created a large sphere encompassing the whole coliseum.

"Have you forgotten? This entire space is my operating table! Anything within it is bent to my will! Even you!" Law quickly unsheathed his sword and sliced the clusters in half, making them fall into the water.

"Shambles-"

"Oh no you don't! I invoke the cross!" Kid flung out a Templar Cross around his neck, which was gold and decorated with citrines. It began glowing, and all of a sudden, Law's field disappeared.

"What?! Room!" Law attempted to create another sphere, but it didn't work. Law looked over at Kid, whose cross was still glowing.

"What did you do?!" he yelled, glaring at the Templar. Ryokugyu grinned from where he was sitting.

"I invoked the power of my cross. Each one of us, save for Kuma, wears a Templar Cross pendant around our necks. There are two powers imbued in every cross. The first is that since all of us are devil fruit users, it gives us the power to swim and not drown when we fall in water. The second is that depending on our target, we are allowed to nullify the powers of one of our devil-fruit eater targets. So for me, I chose to nullify Law's powers, since he's the only devil-fruit user of you two. So unless you either defeat me, or destroy my cross, your Op-Op Fruit won't work." he smirked.

"Special Attack: Green Star: Impact Wolf!" Usopp yelled before shooting a pellet towards Kid that transformed into a rampaging grass wolf.

"I don't think so." Kid created a giant metal hand and smacked right through the wolf with ease. He then swiped it across the arena, knocking the two into the water.

"Law!" I yelled. Usopp rescued him from drowning, and got back up into the arena, but Kid continued his assault, and before long, both of them were on the verge of defeat. They were face down on the ground and could barely move.

"Usopp! Tra!" Luffy began to jump into the arena, but Sabo stopped him.

"Let me handle this, Luffy." Sabo jumped into the arena and squared off against Kid.

"Come to save these two? What do you think you can do against my newfound powers?"

"Melt them."

"What?!"

"Fire Fist!" Sabo blasted a powerful wave of fire towards Kid, who tried to block it, but was unable to. When he came to, he was injured, and his metal arm had partially melted. He growled and dispersed it.

"Fine! Then I'll just create something that you can't melt! Metal Monster!" he shouted before his entire body became covered in metal. He looked similar to Hawkins' transformation, but was more powerful. Sabo tried to melt it again, but this time it didn't work.

"You see?! This form's metal is more sturdy and well-made than my previous attacks. Your fire won't be able to melt it!"

"..." Sabo smirked, which made Kid frown.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you know what's unique about fire? As the color changes, so does the temperature. And as it happens, red is the lowest of the five. The Flare Flare Fruit turns someone into a fire, so as I change the color and increase the temperature…" he said while the fire changed from orange to yellow to white, "I grow stronger. White Fire Fist!" he yelled before unleashing a blast of white fire towards Kid. He once again tried to block it, but this time, was completely overpowered, and when the explosion died down, all of his metal had completely melted and disintegrated. Kid's shirt had been burned off, and he was damaged.

"Why, you…"

"I'm going to end this now, if you don't mind. Dragon's Breath." he said, hardening his fists and then unleashing a burst of haki into the arena, shattering it in half. Kid was sent up into the air from the shockwave, and Sabo quickly jumped up after him. Burning Dragon Claw Fist: Fire Flame Dragon King!" he yelled. He created a normal hardened dragon claw, but used his fire powers to ignite it, making the impact much more powerful onto Kid's chest. Blood dripped from his mouth, and he was just about at his limit. But then, Sabo's claw became imbued by his white fire, and sent another powerful shockwave through his body again, and sent him spinning into the water, giving Sabo the win. He sighed, and grabbed Law and Usopp, carrying them back up into the infirmary where they were healed. In the meantime, Arlong jumped down into the water and retrieved an unconscious Kid. Ryokugyu crushed part of his chair, and used his power to repair the ring.

"Fujitora! It's your turn! I'm saving the Master Templars for last."

"Of course." Fujitora walked out into the ring slowly. Sabo looked at Christina.

"Ready?"

"Always." The two of them walked out into the arena together.

"Last time, my normal fire didn't work against you, so this time, I'm going to start with my White Fire." Sabo said, creating said white fire on his fists and through his pipe.

"And you?" Fujitora looked at Christina. "I'm afraid that I'm not very familiar with your powers."

"Don't worry. You'll see them soon enough." she responded, hardening both of her legs with haki. Christina teleported to him and kicked his arm, which he blocked with his own haki. She then landed on the ground and hardened both of her arms.

"Finger Pistol Yellow Lotus!" she yelled, firing multiple finger pistols at Fujitora, who hardened his cane-sword with haki and was blocking them. She then quickly jumped into the air, using Skywalk to keep herself up there. Meanwhile, Sabo launched some white fire blasts towards Fujitora, and continuously punching him with Dragon Claws. He finally broke through Fujitora's haki and blew him back a bit before the purple admiral noticed Christina launching an attack on him.

"Tempest Kick: Slaughter!" She quickly shot multiple air blasts from her legs towards him. Fujitora began blocking it, but was overwhelmed by the many attacks. The ring became covered in a white smoke due to the attacks.

"Tempest Kick: Victory Bird!" Christina yelled. She sent a powerful Tempest Kick shaped like a bird down towards Fujitora, which created a large explosion. When the smoke had cleared, Fujitora stood only slightly damaged from the assault. He sighed, and then threw his admiral's coat off into the wind.

"I suppose that in order to stop two of the strongest Master Assassins at the same time, I'll have to get serious. Jupiter." He unsheathed his cane-sword and sliced horizontally towards the two of them. They braced themselves, but felt no pain or wounds. All of a sudden, the two of them were brought down to their knees, and then all the way down onto their stomachs.

"Hrghh...I...can't...move!" Sabo yelled. Christina tried to get up, but fell back down again.

"You won't be able to get up from those positions. You see, my devil fruit, the Force-Force Fruit, is based on gravity. And with that power, I have the ability to make my weapon match any planet's gravity that I choose. I just changed it to Jupiter, which is the planet with the heaviest gravity in the solar system. Earth's gravity pulls people down at a rate of 9.8 meters per second squared. Jupiter is 24.8 meters per second squared. Basically, right now, you weigh 2.5 times what you do on Earth. So if you weigh 140 pounds here, you weigh 350 thanks to this." Christina growled. She looked up into the sky and saw that there weren't clouds. It was clear. She smirked, and after a few seconds, a ball of white light appeared in her hand. She shot it up into the air, and it quickly expanded. Fujitora looked up.

"Hm? What is that supposed to be?"

"Moonlight Pillar." Fujitora gasped as he was suddenly engulfed in a column of blinding moonlight. When it disappeared, Fujitora was damaged, and Christina jumped to her feet while Sabo was recovering.

"Hrghh…Hm?!" Christina quickly jumped over to him and placed her fists on top of each other, hardening them with haki.

"Rokuougan!" She blasted a shockwave through him, making a hole through his stomach. She jumped back, and Fujitora fell onto his knees.

"You weren't aware of my powers? How strange, because my father has been well informed about them for years. It seems to me that your superiors don't trust you very much. I ate the Moon Moon Fruit, so I can control the moonlight and create temporary artificial moons. And in addition to that, I possess all three types of haki and am a master of the Rokushiki. I'll have you know that I'm stronger than Sabo." She said, standing over him.

Nami was speechless. 'She's that powerful?! I couldn't sense her haki when she was training me...Come to think of it, besides Luffy, Rayleigh, Hancock, and Arlong, I can't sense anyone else's.'

"Say, Dragon…" Nami began.

"I can see it on your face. You're wondering why you haven't been able to sense a haki as powerful as hers before, right?"

"Y-Yeah. Why is it that I can't sense hers, or Aaron's, Shanks', or your's?"

"Even though you can use haki, you're still just a beginner with it. When you get onto a level of power and experience like Christina, Hawkeye, Aaron, Akainu, Shanks, Ryokugyu or myself, we're able to use our haki without any effort whatsoever. Shanks' haki is such that when he so much as walks near weak-willed people, they will collapse automatically, without him lifting so much as a finger. However, the opposite is also true. We have the ability to conceal our haki as well, even to other haki users such as Luffy and yourself. It's because we're on a higher level. For example, you know that I'm twice as strong as Shanks, so could you imagine if I simply walked around with all of my haki rushing around me? You'd have to be at least Warlord level to be able to remain conscious. And that doesn't even cover being able to completely withstand it."

"You think I don't know...that they don't trust me? Transformation: Gravity Tiger." Fujitora transformed into a giant, purple, hollow tiger and stared down at the two of them.

"You see, I'm fully aware that I'm only in the Order because I'm an Admiral. Kuzan standing against Saka was an unforeseen result, and when he left, it made it even worse. One promoted, and one resigned. Only Kizaru was left. So I was promoted by the World Military Draft to fill in one of the positions. The Grandmaster decided to step into the other Admiral's seat, and inducted me into the Order, and decided to recruit Arlong, Kid, and Hawkins in as well, to prepare for the Brotherhood's assault."

"And you're fine with that? You're okay with simply being another pawn in his game?"

"It would be a far scarier fate to betray him and demand to be respected. I intentionally blinded myself years ago to escape the horrible sights of this world. The only ones that truly matter are the Master Templars, not someone like me. But I still retain my pride as a Templar. So, I will do my best to stop you! In this form, if you touch me, you'll be affected by gravity that is on the same level as the Sun. That's 28 times stronger than Earth's, and 11 times stronger than Jupiter's. Do you think you can win now?"

"Of course. You weren't really paying attention to what I said before, were you?" Christina hardened her arms and created moonlight spheres around her hands and punched Fujitora's tiger form up into the air.

"My powers are based on moonlight. The moon's gravity is one-tenth that of Earth's. Any of your gravity abilities won't work on me. Moon Goddess Form!" she shouted before using her own transformation. Fujitora fell to the ground and slowly recovered, staring at her.

Christina's appearance hadn't really changed much, but her haki was on a completely different level than before. She now stood wearing a shimmering silver dress, and had a large scepter with a moon symbol at the top in her left hand.

"H-Her haki! I can barely breathe!" Nami said breathlessly, holding onto Luffy for support.

"Take a good look. Christina hasn't had to get serious in a long time. This is her full power. When she takes this form, her haki jumps from 70,000 to 150,000." Christina composed herself as she announced the full name of the form.

"...Selene's Judgement."

"Selene?" Fujitora asked. "The Greek Goddess of the Moon?"

"Yes." Christina held her scepter up towards Fujitora and it began to glow a brilliant white.

"Moonlight Damnation." she muttered. Before Fujitora could react, he was obliterated by an enormous explosion of white light that created an atomic cloud shaped like a crescent moon. When the smoke cleared, Fujitora was facedown, his transformation deactivated. Christina released her own powers and grabbed an unconscious Sabo, carrying him back up the stairs.

"Quite the impressive Third in Command you have there, Dragon. To be able to take down an Admiral's full power with minimal effort." Ryokugyu smirked, retrieving Issho's body.

"Woah…" Nami said under her breath.

"Exactly. And you made the stupid mistake of challenging her to a fight back in Solacia. You would have lost, Luffy." I told him. He was completely shocked. Christina healed Sabo and walked over towards everyone else.

"...What?" she asked as they all stared at her in disbelief.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT?! THAT WAS AMAZING!" they all yelled.

"Hm? I thought you knew about my strength…"

"No! When would we ever see you in action like that?! You just took down Fujitora like it was nothing!" Nami praised her.

"I know." she said nonchalantly.

"You know, I have an idea. Let's make this interesting." Ryokugyu announced, standing up and leaning over the balcony. He created a small gold orb of light around his hand, and then let it float into the air. It dispersed, and then everyone could suddenly see someone's memories. Christina's memories.

" _Lady Christina, it's time for training." a Marine soldier told her. She was young, only perhaps 6 years old._

" _Alright." she said unenthusiastically. She began training with some marine soldiers, while they taught her the basics of combat. From the sidelines, a young Sakazuki was watching with his arms crossed. When the training was over, he walked over._

" _Vice Admiral!" the soldiers saluted._

" _Nice work today. You're dismissed. Christina, come with me. I want to talk to you about something." She followed him into Marineford._

" _Admiral Sengoku."_

" _Sakazuki. What a surprise. Did you need something?"_

" _I trust that you know how Christina's training is going, right?"_

" _Yes. I hear that it's going very well. She's a natural fighter-"_

" _It's not enough." he said sternly. Christina looked up at him._

" _...What do you mean? You want to push her even further?"_

" _Yes. She's excelling because it's not challenging to her. I can tell that she's bored with her training. She must have mastered these skills long ago. I know she's very young, but...I'd like to begin training her in the Rokushiki."_

" _Really?" Sengoku asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow._

" _Yes. If she can master the Six powers plus the Rokuougan, I guarantee that she'll become at least Vice-Admiral rank later on."_

" _Alright then, fine. I'll get someone to teach it to her."_

 _ **X**_

" _She mastered all seven powers in only a few months. She's quite gifted." Sengoku was telling Sakazuki._

" _Right. I suppose that she can keep honing her skills and begin going out on small missions."_

 _ **X**_

" _Those damn marines. How many times have they covered up events only to preserve their reputation? Those godforsaken Celestial Dragons. I'm not going to be part of the World Government anymore. I'm finished with them." Christina was muttering while storming down the hallway with her belongings in her backpack. She walked towards Vegapunk's lab._

" _Um, Lady Christina, remember that this area is restricted-" began one of the soldiers before she knocked him unconscious with her Finger Pistol. She sliced the door in half with a Tempest Kick and walked into the main room. Vegapunk looked behind him._

" _You...What is it? You know that this a restricted area, right?"_

" _I don't particularly care. I'm leaving the Marines and joining the Revolution. I just came to take something." She walked over to a glass cube that had a white devil fruit with moon shaped swirls in it. The label read that it was a logia type, called the moon-moon fruit, and was a Piece of Eden. She broke it, and took it out.  
_

" _No wait! Don't-" But it was already too late. Christina waved while eating the fruit and walking out of the room._

"Th-Those were my memories…" Christina muttered.

"A few little fun facts about your companion. You didn't really know too much about her, right? I gave you some background information." Ryokugyu smiled.

"Why even bother?" she asked.

"I'm not really one for secrets."

"...You kept your entire existence to the World Government a secret for most of your life." I corrected him.

"But I quickly came out about the Order once I was known."

"..."

"..."

"You're hopeless." we said at the same time.

"Are you ready for the next battle then?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this." Arlong smiled, and jumped down into the ring.

"Nami. Good luck. And you know that if you're in trouble, I'll help you out in a heartbeat." he reassured her. Nami smiled back at him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Alright then. Are you ready, Jinbei?"

"Of course!" The two of them walked down into the arena and stood opposite of Arlong.

"Start when you're ready." the Grandmaster sighed.

"I should have taken care of you a long time ago." Jinbei said.

"Yes, you should have. I warned you that day when I left. That if you wanted to stop me, then you had to kill me. And you let me go. And now you're going to pay the price for that decision, because with my current strength, you don't stand a chance. Even if Nami can use lightning attacks to injure me, she doesn't have the physical strength to be able to fight me as an equal." Arlong then jumped over to Jinbei and punched him into the side of the coliseum with a hardened fist.

"Jinbei!" Nami yelled.

"Fishman Karate: Samegawara Seiken!" he yelled. He fired a water wave with his fist that suddenly blasted past Arlong.

"You're a devil fruit eater, and the weakness of every devil fruit user is water!"

Arlong simply walked through the attack, completely unaffected.

"Huh?!"

"Jinbei, it doesn't work! He's-" Arlong grabbed her throat before she could finish her sentence. Nami's color drained from her eyes.

"N-Nami!" Luffy yelled. He dropped her onto the ground, making her cough and catch her breath. Arlong had already moved on to Jinbei, who was getting continuously punched by his Armament Haki.

"She's right, you know. I'm made of water, so no water attack will work against me. It's the fourth most powerful devil fruit out there. Of course the three strongest being the Rumble Rumble, Chaos Chaos, and Order Order Fruits." Arlong picked Jinbei up and slammed him against the arena.

"You're barely able to stand, and I haven't even gotten serious yet. See what I mean, Jinbei? You missed your chance to kill me. Water Rifle." Arlong created a rifle made out of water, and then added haki, making it turn black in color. He shot Jinbei multiple times, making him fall unconscious and begin to bleed out.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled out.

"On it!" he jumped into the ring and started throwing punches at Arlong, who was dodging them effortlessly. But then he activated Second Gear, and quickly kicked him against the back wall of the coliseum with a hardened leg. He then ran over to Jinbei and quickly used Haki Healing to stop the bleeding and partially heal the wound. Arlong jumped back into the ring and revealed his necklace, a gold templar cross with onyxes in it. He smirked.

"I invoke the cross!" Suddenly, Luffy's Second Gear deactivated.

"Huh? What happened? Second Gear!" he shouted again, but nothing happened. He tried to use his rubber powers to pump more blood through his body, but he didn't stretch.

"What's going on?!" Arlong suddenly jumped over to Luffy and began bombarding him with punches, knocking him to the ground, covered in blood.

"Don't you remember when Kid used his cross against Law? Besides letting you swim even as a devil fruit user, we're allowed to nullify one devil fruit's powers. Neither one of my targets are devil fruit users. However, I knew that you would jump in to save Nami, so I chose to nullify the Gum Gum Fruit." he smiled maliciously. Nami's eyes widened, and Luffy gritted his teeth.

"So until you beat me, or destroy this cross, you can't use your powers. You're just a normal human."

"Not quite! I can still use my haki!" he shouted before hardening his arm and punching Arlong right in the stomach. However, he was unaffected. But Luffy suddenly became weak and fell onto his knees.

"Do you get it now, Luffy? My combination is invincible to you. My cross nullifies your powers. Even when that happens, you still have the same weakness to water. Whenever you attack me, you become weak due to my water powers. The only kind of attacks that can work against me are lightning-based, and since you're made of rubber, you can't conduct electricity! You're an insulator!" But then Luffy smiled.

"There's a loophole in your combination. It's not invincible. There's one fatal flaw!"

"Enlighten me then! What is it?!"

"When you take away my rubber powers, I'm no longer made of rubber!" Luffy tried to stretch his arm, but it didn't work. "Which means that I can become electrified! Nami!"

"Right! Thunderbolt Tempo!" she yelled before using an electric blast on Luffy. He then jumped over to Arlong and punched him right through the chest, making blood fall out of his mouth. Luffy took his fist out and hardened both of them, beginning to punch him repeatedly.

"I'm not letting you use Neptune's Fury. Listen to me, and listen good. I've thoroughly had enough of you. For Nami's and everyone else's sake, DON'T EVER COME BACK!" he yelled breaking Arlong's cross. Luffy felt his rubber powers return to him.

"Fifth Gear!" he yelled, becoming cloaked in golden aura. "Nami!" he held his hand out to her, and she took it.

"Together!"

"Right!"

"GUM GUM GOLDEN LIGHTNING HAWK!" they yelled together, their fists crashing into the fishman. They stood in the arena, next to each other, thinking that they beat him.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU, LUFFY! NEPTUNE'S FURY!" Arlong screamed from inside the rubble, and destroyed it, revealing himself at his full power, his eyes glowing teal. He flew towards them, his fist colliding with Luffy's face, grabbing him, and flying away to the other side of the coliseum with his body. Arlong crashed him into the side, and continued beating him so fast that Luffy could not fight back.

"Luffy! Knock it off, leave him alone!" Nami yelled. After a few minutes, Arlong jumped back into the arena. Luffy slowly fell off and into the water, unconscious.

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled. He was about to dive in after him, but I stopped him.

"Zoro, don't! If one more of us joins in, another one of them will too, and they'll kill Luffy and Nami for sure. Don't worry, I have faith that Nami will save him." Arlong slowly walked towards the young orange-haired navigator. She had never been so scared in her life. Luffy was in the water drowning, Jinbei was beaten to near death, and the man responsible, her old nemesis, was coming for her to do the same. Her life was at an end. But this is not how Luffy would allow things to end, he would go out fighting.

Nami hardened both of her arms and her clima-tact, and began throwing attack after attack at him. But none of them proved effective, as he simply brushed all of them aside, still walking as calmly as ever. Before she knew it, Arlong was towering over her, looking at her with bloodlust in his eyes. He hardened his fist and backhanded her across the face, making her go flying across the ring, rolling in the process. Once again, he appeared in front of her and grabbed his Kiribachi, hardening it with haki.

Even though Luffy was drowning, his eyes snapped open the second he felt Nami's haki fluctuate. He felt that Arlong had struck her. He sensed their auras and saw that he was standing over her with his sword drawn. Luffy's haki began to surge.

"Time to die, Nami." he grinned evilly. "Huh?" He turned around to see a giant geyser burst out of the water. Arlong and Nami looked on with curiosity until they saw the water subside, and a single figure standing across from them. He came into view, and they saw Luffy with his entire body hardened in haki. His face was dark, and his conqueror's was out of control, rushing around him. He slowly began to walk forward towards Arlong.

"So you escaped death on your own? Interesting. Water Pistol Gatling." He fired multiple shots towards Luffy, and they hit, but he didn't even flinch and just kept walking.

"What…? What's going on? Neptune's Fury!" Arlong activated his full power once more and rushed over to Luffy, throwing two hardened punches at him. However, Luffy caught them both single-handedly.

"What?!" Arlong yelled. Luffy viciously kneed Arlong in the stomach, making him cough up blood, and the attack sent him across the ring. He continued walking towards him. At that moment, he started mumbling angrily.

"You hurt her…" he said, full of rage. Nami's eyes widened.

"Wh-What?" Arlong asked, almost sounding afraid.

"YOU HIT NAMI! HOW DARE YOU!" he yelled, his voice not the same as it usually was. He lifted his head up so that everyone could see his face. His eyes were bloodshot and red, full of hate. Nami had seen Luffy pissed off before, but this was on a completely different level. Luffy was absolutely livid. Arlong flew up to him once more, and began throwing punch after punch at him. Luffy easily dodged each and every one of them, and punched Arlong hard in the chest, sending him flying. Luffy teleported back in front of him again.

"Gum Gum Hawk Pistol!" he yelled, hardening his arm and punching him in the face over and over again until he was completely unconscious. After regaining control over himself and his haki, he leapt back into the arena and walked over to Nami, bending down next to her.

"...Are you alright?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine. Let's go." He helped her up, and they left the arena. Kizaru retrieved Arlong's body, healing him in the infirmary with his haki.

Nami led Luffy over into one of the empty rooms on the staircase. "We did it, Luffy…" Nami whispered to him, and then leapt onto him, trapping him in a fierce kiss. When they parted, she hugged him.

"That's the second time that you've saved me from him.

"And this is the second time that I'll say this: you're my friend, girlfriend, and future queen. I love you, Nami. I always have and I always will." She blushed and chuckled.

"To think that I'd end up meeting you by pure chance back in Orange Town. If you had never shown up, I wonder how things would have went for me?"

"No differently. I would have come by Cocoyashi at some point and would have stopped Arlong all the same, and recruited you into my crew. And we would fall in love all over again." he smiled at her.

"Come on, you. The next match will be starting soon." she smiled, tapping his nose playfully. They walked back out onto the balcony.

"Are you ready?" Ryokugyu asked.

"Always." Mihawk walked down to the arena slowly.

"...It's our turn." Hancock said, looking down at him.

"No, It's MY turn." Zoro said, beginning to walk down to the ring.

"Excuse me?" she asked harshly. "You seem to have forgotten that he chose two targets."

"I don't particularly care what you think. This is my battle, and mine alone. It always was. I had every intention of fighting this battle myself. That man is my reason why I set out to sea. To surpass him as a swordsman is my ultimate goal in life. And that's a goal that I have to accomplish myself. If I was only able to beat him because you were fighting alongside me, that wouldn't be a real win for me. So sit this one out. I don't care if I die, as long as I'm able to fight him with my full power." Zoro said, continuing towards the arena after a few moments of silence.

"B-But-" Hancock began, but then saw Luffy's hand in front of her, blocking her from following after him. She looked at him, and he shook his head with a serious expression on his face.

"Let him do this. This battle is Zoro's entire reason for living." Zoro walked out into the arena slowly, and stared Hawkeye down.

"Roronoa…"

"..."

"You're going to take me on myself?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Fine then! I'd prefer it that way anyway! Come! Show me the results of all of your training!"

"You asked for it! One Sword Style: 360 Pound Phoenix!" he yelled before launching a powerful flying slash attack towards the World's Strongest Swordsman. But Mihawk effortlessly dispersed it by swiftly moving his Yoru to the side.

"You'll have to do better than that."

"One Sword Style: Great Dragon Shock! Zoro slashed towards him, and quickly passed by him. A large blast of air then sliced through Hawkeye, who looked stunned for a moment, but then disappeared, and only some lightning remained.

"You only killed a clone. Did you forget that I ate the Rumble Rumble Fruit?"

"Of course not. Two Sword Style: Nigiri. Tower Climb!" he shouted shooting an upward slash towards Mihawk, who dodged it.

"Tower Climb Return!" He then shot a downwards slash towards him, but he once again dodged.

"Flash! Ripple!" he yelled as he rushed him head on and slashed diagonally. Mihawk cut Zoro's arm with his Yoru, making him jump back. Mihawk didn't give him time to recover, as he launched an energy wave towards Zoro. Zoro growled before he placed his sword in position.

"Two Sword Style Draw: Rashomon!" he yelled, splitting the energy wave in half by slicing downwards.

"Hmph. Let's see if you can stop my attacks as easily now." he said calmly, then imbuing haki into his Yoru. Mihawk slashed again, but this time it was much more powerful.

"Three Sword Style: 108 Pound Phoenix!" The two attacks collided, and for a time were equal, but Hawkeye's overpowered it and ended up injuring Zoro.

"Hrgh...Three Sword Style: One Gorilla! Two Gorilla! Two Gorilla Slash!" Zoro ran towards Mihawk and swung his swords towards him, who countered with his own attack. Zoro growled at him and sliced again, managing to cut across his torso. Mihawk quickly hardened his foot and kicked upwards at Zoro's chin, making him cough up blood and fall onto his back. Zoro slowly got up and glared at him.

"Why don't you take this seriously?!"

"I'll start taking this seriously when you can convince me that I should. Right now, I don't really have to try very hard."

"Fine! You want me to try harder?! Three Sword Style Secret Technique: Crossing the Six Paths!" Zoro slashed at him six times, and it was so fast that it seemed like he didn't even move. An inverted "S" shape was formed from the attacks. This time, Mihawk had to swing quickly in order to stop Zoro's attack.

"So now you're using skills that you developed over our training period. But have you noticed what I have yet?"

"What?"

"I haven't moved from this spot. You haven't made me move a single step yet." Zoro's eyes widened in realization.

'These two years of training...I chose him as my master because I couldn't learn from anyone else! If I need to beat the World's Strongest, I need to learn from him and analyze his fighting style. But even now, even though he ate that devil fruit, he's still just toying with me?! He hasn't even used his powers yet. It looks like I don't really have a choice anymore. I have to use that.'

"When were you going to tell us that your devil fruit was also a Piece of Eden?" I asked Christina.

"Eventually." she said, playing with her hair.

"The First Civilization made 4 devil fruits. The Order Order, Chaos Chaos, Moon Moon, and Sun Sun Fruits."

"Sun Sun Fruit?" Luffy asked.

"Yep. It's the counterpart to my powers. A logia that uses the sunlight. Right now, it's in your mother's possession, although she hasn't eaten it."

"Mom has it?" Luffy asked Dragon.

"Yes. We're holding it for safekeeping. She doesn't want to lose her ability to swim, so we're trying to find someone who's willing to eat it."

"What about Nami?" Luffy suggested. Nami looked at him skeptically.

"The powerup would be a nice change of pace, but I still want to be able to swim too, Luffy. Who would be able to rescue you if I couldn't?"

"Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Franky-" Luffy began counting on his fingers.

"I get it, I get it. But still, if we're ever alone and something happened to you, I need to be able to save you from drowning."

"Aaron! Do it!" Zoro yelled from down in the arena.

"Alright, fine." Zoro hardened all three of his swords with haki, and then I used my wind to lift him into the air, and flew him back a ways, out of the arena. Then I launched him forward so that he would fly back into the arena at full speed.

'What's he planning?' Mihawk thought.

"Three Sword Style Secret Technique: Billion-fold World Trichiliocosm!" he roared, rotating his swords at a tremendous speed, and then slashing when he got towards Mihawk. The swordsman quickly countered Zoro's attack, but when the collision finished, a crack emerged on Yoru, and Zoro was unharmed.

'H-He cracked my blade?! Impossible!' Zoro smirked.

'Now, while he's distracted.'

"Three Sword Style: Rengoku Oni Giri!" Zoro quickly slashed past Mihawk, creating an X-shape with the blood that he drew from his former master. He turned around and got ready again.

"Three Sword Style: 1080 Pound Phoenix!" he yelled, launching his most powerful slash attack towards Mihawk.

"200 Million Volt Vari!" he yelled, imbuing his blade with both lightning and haki, making it much stronger. Mihawk unleashed a blue, electrified wave of energy that cut Zoro's apart and ended up slashing his chest vertically.

"Gah!" Zoro yelled in pain, clutching his chest. "I...have to work through the pain...ignore it! Three Sword Style: Ultra Tiger Hunt!" he yelled, placing his two swords behind him perpendicular to the ground, and the third one still in his mouth. He jumped towards Mihawk and slammed the two swords against Yoru with haki. Mihawk took a step back, but sliced Zoro away.

"I got you to move." Zoro smirked. "Three Sword Style: Black Rope Dragon Twister!" Zoro used one of his strongest moves against Mihawk, making a spinning tornado that whipped around the arena. Mihawk faced it, and braced himself.

'That attack looks like the Grim Reaper's Scythe. Black Rope Dragon Twister. Seems that he's finally getting serious.' he smirked.

"El Thor!" he announced, creating a huge pillar of lightning. The attack crashed down directly onto the tornado, dispersing it.

'He got rid of it…'

"You've proven to me that I should give this my all. So I suppose I'll start getting serious. Max 200 Million Volt Amaru!" Mihawk transformed into his thunder god form and revealed his true power. He then held his hands up to the sky.

"Now then...let's see you stop this. Raigo!" Out of the sky emerged an enormous dark ball of lightning. The ball started flying towards Zoro, who seemed distraught.

'I can't just dodge it, because then the whole coliseum will be destroyed, maybe even the whole island, and everyone else will get hurt. I have to either deflect it back to the sky or disperse the attack itself. And there's only one way to do that.'

"Demon Aura. Nine Sword Style: Asura!" Zoro yelled, creating his nine sword style illusion.

"There's that form again!" Usopp yelled, looking at the demon swordsman.

"Asura Silver Mist!" Zoro countered the attack with all of his swords, and tried to slash it apart, but it proved to be too strong. He was getting pushed back by it. Mihawk began using his hands to control the Raigo ball. He brought it down on Zoro, and compressed the explosion so that it wouldn't blow up the island. The ring flashed blue before a blinding light enveloped it, and an explosion followed. When the light disappeared, Zoro was face down, his swords plunged into the ring. Mihawk had deactivated his transformation, and was looking down at him.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled. He was about to jump into the arena, but I pulled him back and restrained him.

"Luffy, don't! Zoro would be furious if you interfered at this point!"

"It looks like you weren't ready to defeat me yet after all, Roronoa Zoro. What a shame." He lifted his sword up, ready to slash down and kill the Pirate Hunter. When he did, Zoro caught the blade with his hand.

"What-?!" Zoro glared up at him, and quickly grabbed his swords.

"3 SWORD STYLE: RENGOKU ONIGIRI!" He screamed, knocking the Master Templar back to the edge of the ring.

"Listen to me, Hawkeye. If I wasn't able to at least take that attack head on, then I would have given up on this foolish dream of mine! I would be of no use to Luffy! BECAUSE WHAT IS THE PIRATE KING WITHOUT THE WORLD'S STRONGEST SWORDSMAN ON HIS SIDE?! YOUR TITLE IS GOING TO BE MINE!"

"200 Million Volt Amaru!" Mihawk transformed once again, and hardened his Yoru with both haki and lightning."

"...It's time. Time for me to use that." Mihawk looked at him suspiciously.

"Use what?"

"That's right, you weren't aware. I kept it a secret from you, but I developed a few new techniques while training on your island." Zoro pointed to his left eye, the scarred one.

"My eye. I made that scar myself, I didn't get it from the baboons. I've been storing up a massive amount of haki within my eye in order to further develop my Demon Aura techniques. I'm able to make clones out of sheer haki, like you." Mihawk looked intrigued, but was not surprised.

"Show me then. Perhaps these new powers of yours may prove to be a challenge." he taunted, crossing his arms.

"Fine by me." he grinned evilly. "I unlock the seal." was all he said before the scar on his eye faded away. He slowly opened it, revealing a dark red glow, and an incredible wave of haki suddenly bursted around the arena.

"Demon Aura: 30 Sword Style: Yama." Nine clones of Zoro appeared, formed out of Armament Haki, all looking ready to kill. Now this took Mihawk back.

"Perhaps you can defeat one of me, but what about ten of me?" They all put their swords in their hands and mouth and prepared to take on the Master Templar.

"Yama: Red Flash!" he yelled, and all of the Zoro's began slicing past him, and jumping around the coliseum, making a sort of dome shape while attacking him. Mihawk was blocking most of the attacks with his quick reflexes and Observation Haki, but was still getting cut by a lot of the attacks. He was gradually losing his strength. The outline of Zoro's attacks became a dark red, like hardened blood. The attacks continued until all of a sudden, all of the Zoro's stood around the edges of the coliseum, staring down a breathless and wounded Mihawk.

"This is the end! Demon Aura: Nine Sword Style!" They all announced, creating their Asura form.

"My ultimate technique! Demon Aura: Ninety Sword Style: Shiva Annihilation!" Mihawk threw off his coat and shirt, and activated his transformation one last time. He powered up his sword to the maximum, hardening it, and then imbuing the whole thing with lightning, turning it light blue and shock-immersed. He held it up to the sky, striking a lightning bolt into the sky. All ten Zoro's flew towards the arena, and slashed consecutively at Mihawk. A massive amount of slashes occurred, and after the collision subsided, both of them stood back to back, covered in blood, and not moving. Then, after a few moments, Hawkeye finally dropped his sword and fell forward in defeat. Zoro dropped his swords as well, and threw a victorious fist into the air. Everyone slowly smiled, then cheered.

"Luffy! The title is mine! Now it's your turn! Go and achieve your dream!" he yelled.

"YEAH!" Luffy responded happily. Ryokugyu growled. Mihawk was one of the most powerful Templars there was, he hadn't expected him to lose.

"Kizaru! Let's not waste any time! It's your turn." Kizaru nodded, and teleported down into the ring, retrieving Mihawk's body and sword, while Robin went down and helped Zoro get his swords and get to the infirmary. Sanji and Rayleigh went down to fight Kizaru. Rayleigh pulled out his sword, and Sanji activated his Diable Jambe immediately, not wanting to risk anything against the 3rd in command of the Templars.

"Begin when you're ready." Ryokugyu sighed. Rayleigh flew towards him and lunged with his sword.

"Ama no Murakumo." Kizaru created his own light sword and countered Rayleigh's. The two began slashing at each other while Sanji flew towards the Admiral, hoping to hit him while he was preoccupied.

"Diable Jambe: Collier Strike!" he yelled, launching his flaming leg towards Kizaru. He kicked Rayleigh back and clashed with Sanji's attack.

"Bien Cuit: Grill Shot!" he surprised Kizaru by jumping onto his hands and kicking him with his other leg. He left a dark burn print on the Yellow Admiral's suit, and kicked him away, making him hit the edge of the coliseum hard. Kizaru groaned and looked at the grill mark on his suit.

"You damaged my suit. Interesting, Black Leg. Yata no Kagami." he said calmly, creating an orb of light in his hands. Instantly, Kizaru teleported across the arena and kicked him hard across the arena, making him hit the coliseum, causing blood to fly out of his mouth. Sanji gripped the edges, not wanting to fall into the water. However, Borsalino had already teleported in front of him again.

"Amaterasu." he smiled, pointing his index finger at him, creating a blinding flash of light.

"AGHH, MY EYES!" he yelled, falling into the arena, and covering his eyes.

"Yasakani no Magatama." he said, flying into the air and raining down many small light particles. With Sanji's eyes out of commission, he wouldn't be able to stop them, and would take them head on. Thankfully though, Rayleigh flew in front of them and deflected them with his sword. Kizaru jumped down to the ground.

"Ama no Murakumo." Once again, he formed his sword and flew towards the Dark King, and they engaged in swordplay once again. But this time, Kizaru's moves were much faster, and Rayleigh couldn't dodge all of them, getting struck continuously. Kizaru kicked him away.

"Do you honestly think that that was my fastest that I could go before? My Glint Glint Fruit makes me a Light Man. I'm able to travel as fast as the speed of light: 300 million meters a second."

"That won't save you from our Observation Haki, though." Sanji replied angrily, appearing from behind him.

"Flambage Shot!" He ignited one of his legs and jumped above Kizaru, coming down to kick him. However, Kizaru easily blocked the attack with his sword. He then flipped up and kicked Sanji into the air.

"Yata no Kagami!" He teleported above Sanji and attempted to kick him down into the arena, but Sanji blocked his kick and the two began colliding with their legs. Sanji once again appeared above Kizaru.

"Once more! Flambage Shot!" he yelled, this time being able to kick the Yellow Admiral down into the arena hard, causing it to crack. Rayleigh then appeared in front of him and hardened his sword with haki. Then he started slashing at Kizaru, who once again blocked with his sword and kicked him away. This time, Kizaru stepped on Rayleigh, stopping him from getting up, and shot some light blasts into him, making him too damaged to move.

"Rayleigh!" Luffy yelled up from the stands.

"That should take care of him." Kizaru said, walking away and focusing on Sanji, who landed down into the ring.

"I'm done playing around, kid." he said menacingly, preparing his leg with his powers.

"Good, because so am I." Sanji smirked. His flames began appearing around him, and his Diable Jambe's fire began to change color, just like Sabo's did. His leg became encased in blue fire after he was done.

"Blue? The hottest temperature of fire?" asked Kizaru, who seemed interested.

"That's right. That also means that it's the strongest form of this technique." Sanji quickly dashed under Kizaru and kicked him upwards into the sky with little effort, causing the Admiral to growl, as he had noticeably taken damage from the newly powered attacks. Sanji flipped up into the air above Kizaru.

"Poele a Frire: Spectre!" he yelled, flaring up both of his legs with blue fire, and continuously kicking downwards onto his target. After a large barrage of kicks, Sanji kicked Kizaru downwards, making him slam into the arena. Sanji landed in the ring once again, looking down on the yellow admiral.

"Luffy, he did it!" Nami yelled happily.

"No...not yet…" I told them. Kizaru quickly kicked Sanji away and jumped back to his feet.

"Ama no Iwato!" he yelled out, kicking a giant light beam that was shaped like a monkey's head off of his foot. Sanji attempted to shield himself, but the attack ultimately overwhelmed him, engulfing him in a large explosion. Kizaru took off his sunglasses and threw them to the side. He started to become engulfed in his devil fruit's aura.

"Transformation: Monkey of Light." he said sternly, suddenly changing his form and growing in size. I stepped forward.

"I knew it." I said. Kizaru now stood on his arms and legs, in a giant yellow monkey form. Sanji stood up slowly, his suit in tatters. He stared up at the Master Templar. Kizaru moved his hand towards Sanji, ready to slam him down onto the arena.

"DIABLE JAMBE: BIEN CUIT: GRILL SHOT!" he yelled, blue fire raging, and hoping to heavily injure his hand with the lasting grill mark. However, Sanji's attack didn't even slow him down, and his humongous hand smashed the blonde chef into the ground.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled. I clenched my fists. Kizaru lifted his hand back up, revealing an unconscious Sanji stuck in the ring.

'Neither of them can win against Kizaru in that form. Not many others of us here can either...I have to fight.' I jumped into the arena and quickly activated Demon Mode, kicking Kizaru across the face, and landing on the opposite side of the coliseum. I jumped towards him again.

"Ama no Iwato!" he yelled, launching a beam of light shaped like a monkey from his mouth.

"Demon Mode Phase 2!" I yelled, changing to my silver and blue form and flying straight through the beam easily. I arrived in front of Kizaru.

"Chaotic Pandemonium Fishman Karate: Nine Circles of Hell! First Circle: Limbo!" I yelled, performing the nine circle sequence. By the end of it, Kizaru was heavily damaged.

"Ama no Murakumo!" he yelled, his monkey form now wielding a giant light sword. He slashed at me a few times, but I managed to block them. I stood facing him.

"One more time. This is the end, Borsalino! Ninth Circle: Treachery!" I cloaked my fist in haki and demon mode aura, and jumped at him, jamming it through his chest. His monkey form quickly left him, and we stood at our normal heights, my fist still through his body. I pulled it out, and he stumbled for a minute before falling onto the ground, bleeding out.

"...That's one-third of the way complete. My revenge is getting closer to its end. Two more of you left." I said darkly, glaring up at the other two who I swore my revenge upon. I slowly walked past his body, picking up Rayleigh and Sanji and leading them to the infirmary. I placed them down on the beds and healed them with haki before Chopper began bandaging their wounds. Akainu retrieved Kizaru's body, and covered it up with a cloth, knowing that he had already died. He clenched his fists walking away, and jumped down into the arena. He glared angrily at Luffy and Shanks, who headed down and stood opposite of him.

"Start!" Ryokugyu yelled. Akainu and Luffy ran towards each other and clashed with their haki.

"Daifunka!" he yelled, charging up a giant magma fist and launching it towards Luffy.

"Third Gear! Armament: Hardening! Gum Gum Elephant Pistol!" he yelled, his fist crashing with Akainu's. Both cancelled each other out, but Akainu had already taken action and was rushing towards Luffy.

"Meigo!" he yelled, launching his hellhound attack towards the Straw Hat pirate. There wasn't enough time for Luffy to react, and his eyes widened, preparing for the pain. Just then, Shanks appeared in front of the attack and slashed it in half, rendering it useless. He then ran towards the Red Admiral and slashed at him multiple times with his sword. Akainu hardened his fists and continuously blocked Shanks' attacks from his hardened sword. Although he was blocking them, they were strong enough to cause him trouble, and noticeably knocked him off balance a few times.

"I've had enough! Inugami Guren!" he yelled, launching another hellhound attack towards Shanks, who blocked it with his sword. Akainu shaved towards him and kicked him across the arena.

"Shanks! Gum Gum Hawk Gatling-" Luffy began, but Akainu didn't give him the chance to execute his attack. His shave was extremely fast, and he once again appeared in front of Luffy.

"Meigo!" he yelled, punching right through Luffy's stomach, creating a hole. It imploded, leaving a small flame in the middle. Luffy's eye color drained, and he slowly fell forward onto the ground.

"LUFFY!" Nami shrieked. Christina jumped down into the arena, and leapt towards her father, her fist coated in both haki and a moonlight sphere.

"Moonlight Fist!" she yelled, punching him back halfway across the ring. He grunted, and faced off with her.

"Shanks! Heal Luffy!" she yelled over to the emperor who was slowly standing up.

"On it!" he yelled, rushing over to Luffy.

"Oh no you don't!" Akainu yelled, heading towards the two.

"You're fighting me!" Christina yelled, getting in the middle and kicking him back.

"Haki Healing." Shanks said, fixing Luffy's wound and removing the fire from inside of him. Luffy slowly sat up with Shanks' help.

"I'm not going to hold back, father! Moonlight Goddess Form: Selene's Judgement!" she announced, entering her transformed state. Akainu was not fazed whatsoever.

"Magma Armor." he said calmly, fire and lava surrounding him and engulfing his body. His eyes began to glow yellow, while the rest of his body became covered in fire, and red and orange in color. They ran at each other once again. Christina coated her whole body in haki to ensure that she wouldn't get burned from her father's powers. The two of them began exchanging blows, and seemed even for a while, but it was clear that Akainu had the upper hand. He punched her back a bit.

"Face it, you're not strong enough to take me on on your own yet, Christina. When you enter that form, your haki's strength may increase to 150 thousand, but when I use my magma armor, mine increases from 90 thousand up to 200 thousand, the same as Ryokugyu's base amount." He said, walking towards her.

"Moonlight Damnation-"

"No." He cut her off, and shaved towards her, grabbing her staff and snapping it in half like a twig. This promptly undid her transformation, leaving her vulnerable. She looked up at the man towering over her, her own father, still treating her like a child. For once, she was afraid.

"Inugami Guren. So long." he said coldly, charging up his magma dog attack and preparing to fire it towards her. But just then, Shanks interfered and knocked him away, undoing his attack.

"Red Hair!"

"Surprised? You thought one kick could take me down? Get real! I'm one of the Four Emperors, and a Master Assassin!" Shanks yelled, suddenly surrounded by a huge amount of glowing red energy, his own haki materialized. He used Shave as well, and matched Akainu's speed, the two of them clashing across the arena, too fast to track their movements.

"Knight's Blade!" he yelled, making his red energy waves close around the red admiral and explode, making him fall back into the ring. Shanks landed back down and pointed his sword at Sakazuki's throat.

"It seems that you won't win this after all, huh?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"You think that I'm intimidated by you? Wake up." he grabbed Shanks' sword and tossed it away from him, then kicking the emperor back and jumping up, punching him in the chest with his haki fiercely. He then charged up his magma armor on his fist and punched him once again. Shanks hardened his own arms, and grabbed Akainu's hand, attempting to hold it back, but it wasn't enough, and the magma fist plunged right through him.

"Gah…!" Shanks let go of the arm, and when Sakazuki pulled his fist out, the Emperor fell over.

"Shanks!" Luffy yelled. Christina ran over to him and healed him.

"Thanks, but...I'm afraid I won't be able to fight anymore...not with this wound. It's up to you guys!" he said, leaving the arena for full medical treatment. Christina rushed towards her father and began punching him repeatedly, but to no effect. All of her punches merely hit his magma, and her haki wasn't strong enough to make a dent in him. He kicked her away, making her fall into the water.

"Damn!" I yelled, jumping down to get her. The Red Admiral turned his head towards Luffy.

"Just you now. You know, after the war, I gave up on personally killing you. I was content with simply allowing one of the others to take care of you. But now that I'm face to face with you once again, Monkey D. Luffy...I can see that there's a large difference in satisfaction between simply seeing your corpse and turning you into a corpse." Luffy stood up, his face dark. He hardened his arm with haki, and bit into it, inflating his muscular structure.

"Fourth Gear! Bound Man!"

"Hm?!"

"Gum Gum Kong Gun!" he yelled, retracting his fist back into his arm, and fired it at a speed faster than his jet pistol. The force of the impact seemed to split the air apart as it surged towards the admiral. He got hit straight through the stomach, and his fist went all the way through him, as Akainu coughed up blood and tore through the arena, outside the coliseum and into the city. Luffy flew after him. The admiral stood up again, clearly enraged.

"Transformation: Hound of Hell!" he yelled, becoming his magma dog.

"Meigo Fire!" he shouted, breathing fire in the shape of a dog towards Luffy, who dodged it.

"Gum Gum Culverin!" he yelled, launching what looked like a regular Gum Gum Hawk Pistol towards him, but then Akainu started running away from it. Luffy chased after him, continuously redirecting his fist towards the admiral's transformed state. Akainu slashed it away with his paw and lunged towards Luffy.

"Gum Gum Leo Bazooka!" he yelled, knocking him away. However, it didn't do that much damage.

"Hah...Hah...Aaron was right, he's nothing like the others…" Luffy muttered. Akainu pounced on Luffy, his giant paw trapping the Straw Hat captain.

"Hrghhhh-Gah! I can't move!" he shouted.

"Of course you can't. I'm not letting you move, either. Let's see you dodge this at point blank! Inugami Guren Explosion!" he roared, spewing a magma dog at Luffy that exploded on impact.

"Ugh!" Luffy was gravely injured from the attack, and had to deactivate fourth gear. Akainu still held him under his paw.

"Fifth...Gear!" he choked out, becoming cloaked in a golden aura. He pushed Akainu off of him, allowing him to move freely again.

"Gum Gum Golden Elephant Rifle!" Luffy yelled, activating third gear, hardening his arm, and adding fifth gear's golden speed and power boost to it. He launched it towards the hellhound, and it smashed into his chest, knocking him back into the arena once again. Luffy jumped above him.

"It's time for me to finish this! Fourth Gear!" Luffy activated fourth gear again, and then fifth gear on top of it, making it become cloaked in golden haki.

"GUM GUM...GOLDEN KING KONG GATLING!" Luffy screamed, unleashing his most powerful attack towards the red admiral. He completely obliterated the whole arena, and was sending Akainu crumbling down through the rubble and into the water. The coliseum was getting destroyed from the sheer haki explosion.

"We should hurry and leave!" I yelled. We all ran outside of the coliseum and at a safe distance from the battle. Luffy landed back down into what was left of the ring. The arena was crumbling and the whole place was in flames. Akainu was back in his base form.

"Gum Gum...Red Hawk!" Luffy screamed, preparing to finish his nemesis with his brother's keepsake attack. He rushed towards the admiral and smashed his fist through his chest, making him lose his consciousness. Luffy let go and ran out of the coliseum as it crashed to the ground.

"M-MONKEY D. LUFFY! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Akainu roared as he fell into the darkness. Luffy dived out of the building and onto the ground, heavily injured.

"Luffy!" Nami ran over to him happily. She helped him sit up.

"Are you alright?"

"For now, yeah. But it's not over yet."

"He's right. The worst is yet to come." Ryokugyu said to everyone, standing nearby with his arms crossed. I glanced over at him.

"So you two, are you ready to fight?" he smirked at Dragon and myself. We both stepped forward. Dragon waited a moment before I felt him hit the back of my neck and knock me out.

"What the hell…?" I muttered before falling unconscious.

 **End POV**

"Dad, why did you do that?!"

"Because I don't want him risking his life anymore against him. He'll be out for a while. I'll be finished with Ryokugyu by then. Take him and stand back so that we can fight."

"Are you sure you can take him by yourself?" Christina asked.

"Don't worry about me. I'm more than a match for him."

"Alright." Christina picked Aaron's body up and everyone went back aways so that they wouldn't get caught up in the battle. They were still close enough so that they could see the fight.

"So, it's the Mentor of the Assassin Brotherhood vs. the Grandmaster of the Templar Order. Let's see who's better, Dragon!" he yelled, taking a defensive stance. Dragon threw off his cloak, leaving just his black suit and white shirt under it. He crouched down, and unleashed his conqueror's haki. Ryokugyu did the same, intending to counter it.

Nami remembered the sheer power of Dragon's haki when he effortlessly defeated Crocodile back in the arena. All of a sudden, a massive shockwave spread throughout the island, blowing them back, and hanging on to something in order to stay still.

"Wh-What is this wind?! Is that his devil fruit's power?!" Nami screamed.

"No! That's merely his base conqueror's haki! He hasn't used his devil fruit yet!" Christina confirmed. Dragon all of a sudden hardened his arm and rushed towards Ryokugyu. He punched him across the face, creating a crater in the ground where the impact was. Ryokugyu wasn't fazed at all, as he took the punch to the face, and didn't move whatsoever. He still had his arms crossed, and looked back at Dragon as if nothing had happened. He hardened his own arm and punched towards Dragon, who caught his punch. They jumped back a bit, but just as quickly rushed at each other and threw a barrage of haki-clad punches at one another. Every single punch collided, and created shockwave after shockwave throughout the island.

"If this keeps up, the island will be destroyed!" Zoro yelled.

"I'll take care of that." Christina said, creating a haki shield around the island.

"There. I shielded the island in haki, so it won't be destroyed so easily now."

"Cyclone Slice!"

"Crushing Punch!"

"And they're off." Christina commented. Dragon created a wind-like aura around himself, while Ryokugyu created a sphere of green earth aura around himself. They once again threw punch after punch at each other. Ryokugyu hardened his arm with his Crush-Crush powers, and threw a very strong punch at Dragon. However, the former admiral merely increased the level of his haki and punched right through the armor, shattering it.

"Hm! Not bad!" Ryokugyu punched Dragon hard in the face, making him fly back into a building. The Green Admiral rushed after him, punching the building with his powers again, making the whole thing crumble to the ground. Dragon emerged above him and kicked him hard down into the ground.

"Woah...And neither of them have even used their second devil fruit yet…" Usopp mumbled. The two monstrous fighters faced off once again.

"I don't think we're going to get very far like this." Ryokugyu said, throwing off his Admiral coat and beginning to unbutton his green suit.

"Right. I think it's time that we got serious." Ryokugyu dropped his suit onto the ground and formed green spheres around his hands, while Dragon's wind rushed around him much more fiercely. They rushed at each other.

"Gaea's Wrath!"

"Aeolus' Wind Blast!" The force from the collision caused a shockwave that expanded around the entire island.

"Ah! My haki shield is about to break! Everyone get down!" Christina yelled. They all jumped down and the shockwave pushed them all back into the forest while Dragon and Ryokugyu were still going at it, throwing blow after blow at each other. Dragon punched him back halfway across the island.

"Hrgh, damn you!" Ryokugyu took off his tie and threw it on the ground. He surrounded himself with a golden aura, and jumped back towards Dragon at an incredible speed. He punched him hard with a golden fist, sending him flying backwards across the island.

"Grah…grrrr!" Dragon jumped back towards him and the two continued clashing to a standstill. They fell back onto the ground, panting.

"Apollo's Judgement: Celestial Punch of Destruction: Beam!" he yelled, thrusting his fist through the air and unleashing a golden burst of energy towards Dragon, who braced himself. The Assassin Mentor appeared behind the admiral and kicked him in the face, sending him back a little bit.

"Fujin's Tearing Rupture!" he yelled, before the ground started cracking and wind blasted everywhere, heavily damaging Ryokugyu. The two of them stood opposite each other again. Ryokugyu threw his shirt off, as it was mostly in rags due to Dragon's last attack. Dragon got rid of his suit and shirt as well.

"We won't get anywhere like this, it'll take too long."

"Agreed. Let's start fighting for real." Green Aura surrounded the both of them.

"Transformation: Bull of Earth!"

"Lizard Lizard Fruit, Model: Dragon!" The two monster fighters transformed into their green bull and black dragon forms. The two of them rushed at each other as their claws and hooves clashed. Ryokugyu tried to impale him with his horns, but Dragon caught them in his mouth. He lifted the bull off the ground, flew high into the air and sent him crashing down towards the ground. Ryokugyu regained his balance and landed on the ground without much damage. He quickly looked up at Dragon, who was speeding towards him, and began to charge a powerful attack. He blasted a powerful green beam from his mouth towards Dragon, and continued shooting it across the sky. Dragon simply continued dodging it, and flew in front of him.

"Cyclone Incineration Blast!" he yelled, firing his most powerful blast point blank at him. Wind and fire were sent flying everywhere, all around the city. When the blast cleared, Ryokugyu stood standing, injured, still in his bull form.

"You really are powerful, huh? Alright then. TRANSFORMATION: GOLDEN BULL OF LIGHT!" he screamed, before his bull form glowed, and continued to grow larger. His skin became gold in color, his horns larger and more curved. Two large red Templar crosses were emblazoned on his side, made out of pure energy. His eyes were glowing a crimson blood red, and his tail split into five, whip-like tails.

"Wanna try again?" he grinned.

"Cyclone Incineration Blast!"

"Phanes' Judgement: Golden Laser of Redemption!" Ryokugyu's blast easily overpowered Dragon's this time, heavily damaging him. The golden bull rushed towards him and impaled him with his horns, and then launched him across the city, making him crash through buildings.

"Dad!" Luffy yelled, worried.

"Don't worry about him, Luffy. He's not finished just yet." she smiled. Dragon got to his feet, and white energy began surging around him.

"TRANSFORMATION: WHITE DRAGON OF WHITE BRILLIANCE!" He shouted, before his dragon form began to glow and transform again. His wings, claws, and other draconic features all became larger, and his entire body went from pitch black to a glistening white. His teeth became more like fangs, and his eyes were glowing a bright turquoise blue.

"Phanes' Judgement: Golden Laser of Redemption!"

"White Dragon's Light Blast." This time, Ryokugyu couldn't even match Dragon's new power. His blast was completely overpowered, and Dragon flew around faster than he could analyze, continuing to injure him with his claws and fangs.

"Wow...he's amazing…" Luffy breathed.

"I know." Christina smirked.

"Aaron and I at our full strengths could barely defeat his golden bull form in his clone at Dressrosa. And here we are with the real one, and he's getting tossed around as if he's nothing."

"Dragon is the strongest man alive. No one can beat him." I said, finally waking up and rubbing my face.

"Oh, you're up."

"Why did you guys knock me out? I could have helped."

"Dragon doesn't want you to get hurt in this battle. And you can see that he'll be just fine on his own."

"No, he won't." I started walking forward. Ryokugyu's bull form was completely gone, and he stood in his human form again. However, he was smirking. And that didn't mean anything good.

"Hehehehe HAHAHAHAHA! MAGNIFICENT!" Dragon landed on the ground.

"Why are you so happy? You can't win. Your death is only a matter of time now."

"Is it? I beg to differ. Tell me something. Did you think that the only sage in this war between us was Aaron? Did you ever stop to consider that a Templar Sage was around as well?" Dragon realized what he was asking.

"No...you can't be…"

"Oh, but I am! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Look at my eyes." Ryokugyu's eyes changed. Dragon looked at him, shocked.

"I have both Anisocoria and Heterochromia Iridum in my eyes. Anisocoria is the condition where one of my pupils is smaller than the other. And Heterochromia is the condition where I have two different colored eyes. See?" Ryokugyu's left eye had a smaller pupil than the right one did. One eye was yellow, while the other was blue-gray.

"You know, if I wasn't a Sage and didn't have this power, you're right: I would have died facing you. My admiral transformations are not as powerful as yours, I admit that. But I have a final power that transcends far beyond those powers. **Aita's Judgement: Armor of the Order**." Ryokugyu's body began to glow, and his outfit changed. When the light vanished, he stood full-clad in golden armor with a red cape attached to his shoulders. His eyes were now undoubtedly those of a sage.

"Well, let's see just how powerful you've become, shall we?! White Dragon's Light Blast!"

With almost no effort whatsoever, Ryokugyu flew right through the blast and charged his fist up with golden light. He slammed his fist into Dragon's head, and that one simple attack completely obliterated his transformation. Dragon appeared on the ground again, in his base form. Blood was coming out of his head, and he was noticeably shocked.

"W-With just one punch…?" Ryokugyu smirked.

"That's right. With just one punch, your powers are rendered useless. Want to see what else I can do?"

"GRAHHHHH!" Dragon's haki exploded around him, and he rushed up, throwing a flurry of punches at him. Ryokugyu simply took the hits, dodged them, and caught some of the blows. He punched him hard in the chest, making him cough up blood and keel over.

"It appears that you are now powerless to stop me. So long, Dragon." he said, placing his foot on his head.

"Hyperion's Judgement: Astral Strike of a Thousand Gods." He charged up his fist and got ready to kill Dragon.

"I don't think so."

"Mm? Gah!" I kicked him, sending him back a few feet.

"What?! Dragon couldn't even do anything to me, and one kick from you pushed me back? How?!"

"I'll let you figure that one out for yourself. Tell me something. Did you even realize how easily I took down Kuma and Kizaru?"

"Well, that was to be expected."

"Was it? Kuma may not have used haki, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. And yet I took him down with a single punch, not even in Demon Mode." Ryokugyu's eyes widened in realization.

"You...you've gotten stronger, haven't you?"

"Yes. I trained the whole way from Evergia against you every time. I know your techniques inside and out. And if I'm right, not even Aita's Armor will save you."

"Why don't we test that theory?! Amaterasu's Judgement: Solar Oblivion of Rebirth!" Ryokugyu charged up an immense amount of power into his fist and lunged at me. I simply extended one hand and blocked his attack with no effort.

"Th-This can't be…!" I kicked him hard in his armor, causing it to crack, and sending him flying back.

"Do you want to see what I've been able to do since our last battle? Demon Mode." I became cloaked in black and purple chaos.

"Demon Mode: Phase 2." I ascended to the second form of my transformation, changing the color of the energy to silver and blue.

"One more. Demon Mode: Phase 3." I activated the final stage of my transformation, changing the glow of the chaos to a dark red, and my eyes began glowing black. Faster than anyone could see, I teleported in front of him and punched him hard through his chest, causing his armor to shatter. He fell forward onto the ground, now in his base form, bleeding from the chest.

"Hmph." I teleported to where everyone else was, grabbed Christina, and went back.

"A-Ah?! What was that for?!"

"I thought you said that you wanted to finish this together?" I asked. She looked down at the ground and was surprised to see Ryokugyu bleeding out.

"W-When did you-?"

"Just now. This is why you should have kept me around. Dragon wouldn't have had to get hurt."

"To be fair, you should have told us about it, then we would have known."

"Well yeah, but that ruins the whole surprise. I'm a whole lot more badass now that I kept it secret until the last minute."

"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING BADASS!"

"Well it should be."

"Shut up!"

"Do you want to do this or not?" 

"Ugh, fine." I lifted him up by the neck and threw him against the wall of rubble. We both extended our hidden blades and stabbed him in the chest.

"G-G-Gah...you two...hehehe...don't you see the futility of what you're doing?"

"Killing you isn't futile." I replied.

"Well maybe to you, but in the long run, it won't matter at all. You should know by now that the Assassin-Templar conflict will never end. There will always be more Templars to rise up and take control when we lose, and there will also always be Assassins to do the same when you lose. From Chaos, Order is born. And from Order, Chaos is born once again. It's a never-ending cycle."

"We know that." we said at the same time.

"Huh?"

"Let me tell you something." I leaned down so that I was eye-level with him.

"I don't really live in the future. I live in the here and now. Not all Templars are evil, you know. We both consider Shay Cormac a hero. But I know for a fact that this Order was corrupt, and needed to be stopped. Granted, I only killed 4 of you, but it doesn't matter, because without you at the helm, they won't dare try to reconstruct it. Because let's be honest here. Mihawk and Arlong, Kid and Hawkins, Fujitora and Crocodile, they all think and act like me: in the moment and on a whim. They only joined the Order because someone as powerful as you was leading it. Maybe if Akainu was, but do you honestly believe that they'll regroup under someone else like Fujitora or Dracule? Their powers, while commendable, are nowhere close to our levels. Plus, now that Dragon doesn't have to worry about you or Blackbeard anymore, the Navy is backed into a corner. They'll know soon enough that they can't stop the Revolution from happening. So I don't really care that the conflict will never end. Because there will always be someone like Luffy or I to stand against you when the time calls for it. And THAT is all I have to say to you." He stared at me for a moment before grinning and falling over. It was finally over. The man that had been the start of everything for me was finally dead.

"Haki Healing." Christina healed Dragon, and he stood up.

"Well done." was all he said.

"Of course that's all you'd say." I pouted. We went and met up with the others.

 **X**

After burying the bodies of Ryokugyu, Akainu, Kizaru, and Kuma, we decided to leave the island. Luffy claimed that he didn't want to look for the One Piece yet.

" _No. I won't allow myself to find the One Piece until we sail through the whole Grand Line! We came straight here from Evergia, we didn't stop anywhere along the way. So until we visit the rest of those islands, I don't want to come back here and look."_

Dragon decided he would keep the Order Order, Magma Magma, Glint Glint, and Paw Paw Fruits at Zou with him. As we all came together on the Sunny, we were just about to depart, when…

"Do...you think that we can come along too? Back to Evergia?"

"Hm?" I looked over the side of the ship to see Mihawk and Arlong.

"What happened to your ships?"

"They're still docked at Evergia. Fujitora already left with Crocodile, Kid, and Hawkins."

*sigh* "Alright, come on." They walked up onto the ship. After checking with Luffy and Nami, who were fine with having those two on board, we decided to take off and leave the Templar Tournament behind us.

 **End.**


	21. Transtown and Punk Hazard

**Unlimited World Red starts now. This will be fun. Enjoy!**

 **Songs**

 **New Bounties: Luffy's Fierce Attack (One Piece OST)**

Mihawk sighed, walking out onto deck. Zoro looked at him.

"What's up?"

"I finally finished reforging Yoru." he said, inspecting the sword. "Thanks to your shipwright and his factory. He has a forge in it."

"He has a lot of things in his factory." Zoro closed his eyes again. Mihawk sat down against the wall of the ship. Just then, Nami walked out from the kitchen.

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Aaron today? I need to ask him something."

"Oh, today...August 24th, right? I'm afraid you won't find him today." Arlong said to her.

"Yeah. He's never around today." Christina said, stepping out of Aaron's room.

"Why not? Did something happen?" Nami asked.

"Today's the anniversary of his parents' death." Mihawk told her, making Nami gasp. Everyone looked over. He looked up in the sky, hands behind his head.

"He usually takes the day off to visit our hometown, Fishman Island, Cocoyashi Village, and sometimes Baltigo, when he feels like it."

"Why would he go to Baltigo? Wouldn't he want to keep his mind off of work?" Shanks asked, looking over.

"He does. He just usually visits the area where he fought Kuma. As for the others, his parents' grave and his old house, Fisher Tiger's grave, and Bellemere's grave as well as spend time with Nojiko." Jinbei mentioned.

"I think today's a little different for him though." Dragon said, stepping out from upstairs.

"What do you mean?" Sabo asked.

"Today's the first time this day has come around where he beat the Templars and achieved his revenge. Which is probably why he took Hancock with him. Usually he goes alone."

"He doesn't even take you with him?" Luffy looked at Christina.

"No, never. I wonder why he chose Boa out of all of us?" she asked. "And why not me? I'm his best friend." she pouted.

"He doesn't take you because he doesn't want to end up arguing and blowing up a city by accident." Dragon sighed, making everyone laugh. Just then, Hancock and I appeared on the ship again.

"Oh! You're back already?" Jinbei asked.

"Yeah. We didn't take too long today." I said.

"Well, I suppose now that we're all here, there's something I should share with you all." Dragon said. We all sat around the ship.

"What?" we all asked.

"The World Government's raised all of our bounties. Every single one of us."

"We're Warlords. They're not allowed to do that." Arlong narrowed his eyes.

"And they're letting you keep those titles. These commands came from the Gorosei themselves. Apparently, after the whole Tournament and killing a few warlords and Admirals, they said that even the Warlords have to have their bounties updated to better reflect their current abilities. However, you'll still retain the title."

"Well then?! What are they?!" Luffy asked excitedly. Dragon went through them one by one.

"Chopper, you finally have a real bounty. 170 million." Chopper was overexcited.

"Brook, 130 million."

"Yohohoho...not bad!"

"Robin, 180 million." Robin simply smiled, like she always does.

"Usopp, 210 million. Not that much more."

"Well that's fair, I guess. I didn't really do that much, anyway."

"Franky, 240 million."

"Finally, a real number!"

"Sanji, 300 million."

"Beat that, Moss Head!"

"I already did in my last bounty." Zoro spat.

"Hancock, 300 million." Hancock just looked at her poster blankly. She really didn't care.

"Nami, 400 million."

"EXCUSE ME?!" she screamed. Luffy put his hand on her shoulder.

"Nice job, Nami!" he congratulated.

"What do you mean, nice job?! Why is it so much higher?!"

"Well, they know that you possess haki now. Also, you fought with Luffy, so you would get more credit than the others." Nami groaned and fell to her knees.

"Jinbei, 500 million."

"Interesting."

"Law, 520 million."

"Whatever."

"Arlong, 580 million."

"Hmph."

"Zoro, 630 million."

"Drop dead, Shitty Cook." Zoro grinned, his eyes still closed.

"Sabo, 650 million."

"Hehe."

"Luffy, 800 million."

"AW YEAHHHH!" he jumped in the air and screamed before Nami brought him back down to earth. By knocking him out, of course.

"Mihawk, 860 million."

"Mm." he muttered.

"Rayleigh, 950 million."

"That's not much of an increase." he stated.

"Shanks, 1 billion 300 million."

"Heh."

"Christina, 1 billion 500 million."

"Go me." she said, unenthusiastically. To be honest, she was barely paying any attention anyway.

"And Aaron, you and I are both 2 billion apiece."

"Of course we are." I smiled, looking out into the sea.

"Hey, we're almost there. Evergia is in sight." Mihawk pointed off the ship to the island in the distance.

We docked and the others walked off the ship to go to their own.

"So you're off then." I stood next to Arlong.

"Yeah. I'm going to keep being a Warlord. Now that the Templars are disbanded, there's going to be some changes in the World Government. After all, a Warlord and 3 Admirals were killed. And before that, an Emperor."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Blackbeard's Armada is gone."

"So there's only 3 Emperors now. I don't plan on being their lapdog, but I'm sure that the more they have, the better. At least until you and Dragon take over the world together." he laughed.

"Heh. It's good to have you back."

"Likewise." We shook hands before he walked off towards Mihawk's ship.

"You never cease to amaze me with all your crazy stunts." Shanks said, walking up to me.

"Crazy stunts? I'm not the one who tried to stall Kaido right before Marineford and came out without a scratch." Shanks chuckled.

"Well, I guess you're not as crazy as me. But you were still nuts to challenge the entire Templar Order."

"But we won, didn't we?" I smirked.

"I suppose so. Take care." he said, patting my shoulder before saying his goodbyes to Luffy for the time being. The others did the same.

"I'll call you if I have any new assignments for you, alright?" Dragon told me.

"Of course. I'm looking forward to it."

"Come back and visit, you two." I told Hancock and Mihawk.

"Sure." Luffy hugged Sabo goodbye. I looked over at Christina.

"Aren't you heading back with Dragon?"

"No. You guys have a lot of fun, don't you? I decided to join the crew for good. Just like you, I'll operate out of the Thousand Sunny."

"And I suppose you're staying in my room, aren't you?" I sighed.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." she winked and walked back up onto the ship. We followed her and set sail.

"Where to next?" I asked, sitting down on one of the chairs.

"Ummm...there's a place nearby called Transtown, on the Island of Promises. Should we head there next?" Nami asked.

"Not up to me." I shrugged.

"Luffy?" Nami asked. Before she could look at him, he jumped on top of her and looked at the log pose.

"Let's go! Adventure!" Nami frowned while the rest of us laughed.

 **X**

Christina and I sighed and walked out of the Animus Training Room.

"You did a session together?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah, we had a sparring match."

"And who won?" Franky asked.

"Who do you think?" Christina scowled.

"Don't be so frustrated, it was a close match." I told her.

"Yeah...Until you used Phase 3 of Demon Mode." she rolled her eyes.

"Well we were still even at Phase 2, so what was I supposed to do?"

"Give up and let me have the win?"

"Yeah, no. Nice try."

"Well, in the meantime, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper found a Raccoon while we were sailing."

"His name's Pato!"

"Nice to meet you!" he looked at me.

"You as well. Why would a talking raccoon be in the sea?"

"My friend and I got separated a while ago. I've been looking for him ever since. I fell asleep on a beach one night, and I guess I got carried away by the waves."

"I see. Well then, I guess welcome to the crew. I'm Aaron, and this is Christina. We'll be back in a while, we have some business to take care of." We went back in my room and picked up a transponder snail that was ringing.

"Dragon. What's up?"

"I've got an assignment for you guys. Ever heard of Red the Aloof?"

"Patrick Redfield. He used to be on the same level as Roger and Whitebeard."

"That's right. However, because he used to be at odds with Roger, he joined the Templars a long time ago. But after Roger's execution, he ended up getting caught by the Navy, and has been in Impel Down ever since. He left the Order behind. Well, until about a week ago."

"He got out?" Christina asked.

"Indeed he did. As a matter of fact, he has his eyes set on your crew."

"Because we wiped out the Order?"

"Yes. He's after a certain Devil Fruit, as well as the One Piece. Your assignment is to monitor his movements, and if you deem it necessary to kill him, I'm giving you my permission to do so."

"Understood. I'll keep you up to date." I hung up the phone.

 **X**

"Hey, Raccoon! Is that it? The Island of Promises?" Pato scribbled on a leaf with his pen, and tossed the leaf into the air. It spun around a few times before disappearing into a small puff of smoke and turning into a spyglass. He looked through it, towards the island.

"No doubt about it! That's the island all right! Nukiki!"

"Pato...though regrettably short, it seems our time together has reached its end." Brook told him.

"Oh, I suppose you're right!"

"Don't forget who fished you out of the sea!" Usopp told him.

"And don't forget who saved you from becoming raccoon stew!" Nami said, poking his nose playfully.

"Nuki!"

"Chopper...I know it must be tough, but you must say goodbye to your brother…" Sanji told him, kneeling down.

"I'm not a raccoon!" he protested. All of a sudden, Luffy jumped down from his seat on the head of the Sunny.

"What's going on, Luffy? You seem so happy all of a sudden." Robin looked at him.

"Can't you smell it? This island reeks of adventure!"

"Incredible adventure...Sometimes it pays to help a raccoon in need." Zoro said.

"Nukiki! So have I repaid the favor?" Pato asked, walking up to Luffy.

"Definitely! Franky, let's head back! Sanji, a jumbo size serving of piracy awaits us!"

"So it seems…" Sanji sighed.

 **X**

We dropped anchor on the shore, and walked off the ship.

"Let's get started! We're gonna need to get some supplies while in town." Nami began. "Sanji and Brook will be in charge of food."

"Anything you say, Nami!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

"Time to put these old bones to work!" Brook added.

"Usopp and Franky will get whatever we need for ship repairs."

"You can count on us!"

"Chopper, I'm leaving the medicine to you."

"Makes sense! I am the doctor after all!"

"Umm, Zoro...You'll get lost first chance you get, so stay and watch over the ship."

"Oh c'mon!"

"Finally...Robin and I will take care of the clothes shopping!" Nami said happily.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Usopp complained.

"Clothes are important too, right? Especially clothes that leave little to the imagination…" she said in a low tone.

"Happy hunting!" Sanji agreed.

"And Aaron, Christina...you guys can go wherever. If you need more weapons and whatnot, then go ahead. Otherwise, you can join one of the others and help out. Christina, you're welcome to join us for clothes if you want."

"I'll pass, thanks. I just bought a bunch of clothes at Evergia anyway."

"Alright then."

"Hey, Nami...what about me?" Pato asked. Nami knelt down next to him.

"Aren't you planning on meeting someone on this island?"

"Oh yeah! That's right!"

"So I guess this is it…We'll be in town while we resupply, so give us a holler if you need anything."

"I will! Thanks for bringing me this far! Nukiki!"

"And last but not least, Luffy. You like to venture off on your own and…" But it was already too late. Luffy had already stretched his arms up to the top of the town's entrance gate.

"I'm gonna explore a bit!" he yelled, launching himself towards the center of town.

"Meet back at the inn! And don't wander out of town without telling us first!" Nami called after him.

"I got it! I got it! Woohoo!" he yelled, flying through the sky.

"I suppose we should follow him to make sure he doesn't do something ridiculously stupid." I sighed, before Christina and I walked into town after him.

"That would be smart. I'll see you guys back at the inn."

"Yeah." And we took off.

 **X**

"Luffy!" we called after him, finding him standing in the center of town.

"Oh, hey guys! Here to explore too?"

"I think look after you is a more accurate job description." Christina told him.

"Hehehe...yeah, that makes sense. Alright then! First order of business is to find somewhere to eat! Maybe the townsfolk can recommend something!" After walking around for a bit, we found an inn near the docks.

"There you go, Luffy. An inn. It'll have food too." Christina noticed.

"Perfect!" We walked towards it, but all the doors and windows were closed. There was a man standing in front of it.

"It looks like it's closed right now." I pointed out. The man out front noticed us.

"In need of some lodgings?" he asked.

"Yeah, and a decent meal too!" Luffy said.

"Well, sorry, but the owner is not in right now. She's known as Yadoya 'round here. Go check the square. She's talking talking to someone over there. The square's that place at the bottom of those stairs over there." We walked down the stairs to see a young woman talking to a few gang members armed with swords. It didn't look like the conversation was a happy one either.

"We protect this island, and we demand to be paid for our services!"

"I don't need your protection!" she exclaimed. We saw what she looked like for the first time. She wore a teal shirt, yellow tie, and a red, orange, and yellow apron over it. She had brown hair tied up in a bun, and wore glasses.

"Maybe we should smash this inn as an example of what happens to those who refuse to pay!"

"Hey! Quit it! How are we supposed to eat here if you do that?!" Luffy yelled, suddenly appearing before the two criminals.

"Ah...what? Who…?" the owner stuttered.

"Who the hell are you? Piss us off and pay the price!"

"Sorry, but we don't have the time to deal with you idiots right now." Christina said, stepping forward. Before the criminals could even blink, she unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki, knocking them out instantly, and making them foam at the mouth.

"Ah…! Thank you! I don't know what I would have done without you!" the owner smiled at the three of us.

"Hehehe! Let's eat!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Yeah, sorry to bother you, but we came here for a meal at the inn. Could you help us out?" I asked.

"Of course! It's the least I could do for you saving me and all! Let's go back to the inn."

 **X**

We sat at the bar with Yadoya standing behind the counter.

"Hey! Got any grub?" Luffy asked.

"Sure, if you don't mind something simple...What'll it be?"

 **X**

"...Mm. Ugh...huh? How long were we asleep?" Christina asked, waking up. I woke up shortly after her. Luffy was still fast asleep.

"Hey…! Wake up!" Yadoya said, walking into our room and shaking Luffy awake.

"Huh…? Who are you…?" he asked groggily.

"You know who I am! I'm the owner of this inn."

"...Ah, I see... and them?" he asked, motioning towards some other people who were sitting at various places in the dining room.

"Them? They're just customers like you who have come to eat or rest up a bit. Which brings us to your food and lodging. We don't do credit so you'll have to pay if you wanna stay."

"...Ouch. I've got no berries on me...If you can wait for my allies to show…"

"Hmph...I guess I can forget the bill as thanks for yesterday under one condition…"

"One condition?"

"I just have a favor to ask you."

"If you're willing to hear me out, I'm willing to forget the bill and take care of you and your allies."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Christina and I have plenty of money. We can cover the bill."

"No, it's all right. We should help her, considering she was nice enough to give us food and let us sleep." Luffy stopped me.

"Alright then."

"So, about that favor…" she began.

"Right. Umm, what kind of favor…?"

"Luffy! We've got trouble!" We looked out the front of the inn to see Pato running towards us.

"Pato? What's wrong?" Christina asked.

"Umm...Well...uh! How else can I put it?! Everybody's been captured!"

"Who's everyone…?" Luffy mumbled.

"You're really dense when you wake up, aren't you?" I stared at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Umm...Zoro and Sanji...Nami and Robin and Franky...Chopper and Usopp and Brook...Basically everybody besides you three!"

"They were all captured?" Luffy asked. "Seriously…?"

"We don't have much time! Come with me!" Pato started running off. Luffy began to follow.

"Huh…? What about me?!"

"Umm...You had a favor to ask, right? I'll get back to you on that!" We started running off after Pato.

"What? Really? A man's word is his bond, you know!"

"I know! I know!" Luffy responded. We arrived at the front gate before long.

"Are you sure about this? I can't believe they'd all just be captured like that…" Luffy mumbled.

"I'm sure! I saw it with my own eyes! Umm...It was that guy…! He took them all...Took them out of town and to the far side of the island!"

"Alright! Lead the way!"

 **X**

It wasn't that long before the island started changing. And it changed drastically, too. It started getting really hot. And then we noticed why. There were burning buildings and magma around us.

"What's with this place…? I get the feeling I've been here before…" Luffy said.

"This is Punk Hazard...but why? We're nowhere near this island right now."

"Aaron...this power is…" Christina whispered to me.

"Yeah...this is Redfield's ability. He's supposed to be able to make clones and copies of people and places. This definitely fits the bill."

"Over here!" Pato called out. He and Luffy continued walking further into the island.

"Let's go." Christina started walking on. I sighed and followed them. We weren't walking for very long before we came out into an open area. All of a sudden, a giant red dragon flew down and landed in front of us with a large shockwave.

"A dragon?!" Christina and I yelled.

"Could it be…?! MEAT!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes. We both sighed. The dragon quickly breathed a fireball at us, so we all dodged out of the way so it would hit the stairs behind us.

"Guess we're gonna have to fight it. This won't take long, though." I smirked. Luffy shaved to the side of the dragon and hardened his arm.

"Gum Gum Hawk Rifle!" he yelled, spinning his arm around and slamming it into the dragon's side.

As he did that, Christina appeared above it and hardened her leg, kicking forcefully onto the dragon's head, sending it crashing into the ground.

"And the finisher." I said, my Sword of Eden raised above my head and surrounded with a black aura. I hardened the blade and narrowed my eyes.

"Black Blade Single Flash." I said sternly, mirroring Mihawk's signature technique and unleashing a powerful slice of black energy vertically towards the dragon. It was split right down the middle, and the two halves fell over. I closed my eyes and put my blade back. Christina and Luffy sighed, while Pato simply stood in awe.

"Wow...amazing! You guys only needed 3 attacks to beat that thing! Your full power is amazing!" he complimented.

"That wasn't even close to our full power." we all said in unison, making the raccoon even more surprised.

"Meat!" Luffy yelled all of a sudden, looking at the dragon's insides.

"You feast on dragons…?! I had no idea…!" Pato exclaimed.

"Phew! I used to think dragons were rare, but they're everywhere these days."

"Well, that's what you get when you travel in the New World." I told him. Just then, the Dragon disappeared into a puff of smoke. Only a leaf remained.

"Sanji's not here either, so I'll just make a fire here and…Huh?" Luffy turned around. "My meat! Where did it go!?" I walked up and examined the leaf.

'There's no doubt about it. This is the same ability Pato has. So does that mean that this friend of his is Redfield? But why would he bother to send these opponents at us and make us visit islands where we've already been?'

"This is weird…" Christina mumbled.

"Where did my meat go?!" Luffy wailed.

"Umm, well…! Oh, yeah, that's right! Someone ran away with it!" Pato told him.

"Who?!"

"Umm...Someone who kept saying, 'shurorororo,' I think."

"Caesar's here too?" I asked.

"So it was him…! He's the meat thief!"

"That jerk! I've got to get my meat back from him!"

"But what about your allies?!" Pato asked, clearly surprised by Luffy's anger over mere meat.

 **X**

After a while, we finally reached the frozen half of the island. And not long after that, we reached a dead end, as we were as far in as we could go. And sure enough, as I thought, Caesar stood in the center of the clearing. As Luffy ran towards him, he sent a wave of gas towards him. Luffy dodged it.

"Huh?! What was that?!"

"Shurorororororo! There you are, Straw Hat! Now, the world's greatest scientific-" Before he could finish his sentence, Luffy shaved in front of him and readied a punch.

"Stealer of dragon meat!" he yelled, punching Caesar in the stomach and sending him flying backwards.

"As enigmatic as ever. You rubbery freak…" Caesar panted. "What's all this about dragon meat…? Isn't the abduction of your allies a more appropriate reason to be angry?!"

"Oh yeah, you're right! So you're the one who took them!" he yelled, once again shaving in front of him and uppercutting him in the chin, sending him flying upwards this time. He disappeared in mid air. But before long, we heard a heavy thumping moving towards us. The beast came into sight in a few seconds from over the mountain. Caesar was riding Smiley, his poisonous monster.

"Luffy, don't get poisoned!"

"Got it!" We all rushed towards the beast.

"Gum Gum Red Hawk-"

"Luffy, no! Setting it on fire would cause it to explode and create that giant cloud of gas like last time!"

"Grrr…" For a while, we simply had to dodge his attacks, but all of a sudden, Caesar got thrown off of his pet.

"Now! Get him!" We all rushed at him and punched him as hard as we could with hardened fists. He flew backwards.

"Now, while he's not on it! Fire Fist!" I launched fire towards Smiley, essentially detonating his body, and a giant cloud of gas began to form. Then I used wind to blow it all away from us. I kept it up high until it eventually evaporated. Luffy, in the meantime, rushed towards Caesar.

"Gum Gum Red Hawk!" He struck him right in the chest, causing the mad scientist to fly backwards against a cliff.

"Straw Hat...! Wait! I can help! Your allies! I know where they are!"

"Heeeeey! Luffy! I found them! I found Zoro and Franky!" Pato yelled happily.

"Whaaat?!" Caesar screamed.

"You just ran out of uses." I smirked.

"Looks like the cat is already out of the bag!" Luffy said.

"Wait! Please! There's so much more I can tell you…!"

"Gum Gum Grizzly Magnum!" Luffy yelled, sending the scientist flying and turning him back into a leaf.

"Aah! Slept like a rock...Huh? What are you guys looking at…?" Zoro asked, rubbing his neck.

"Looks like I dozed off as well…"

"You guys know you were abducted, right? Shishishi!"

"Abducted? Are you kidding me? We went straight back to the ship, had ourselves a small feast, and just had a little sleep is all...Huh? Where are we…?" Zoro asked.

"Punk Hazard." I told him.

"What?!" they both yelled.

"Not literally. It's a copy of the island. It's an ability similar to Pato's."

"I see...What happened to the others?" Franky asked.

"They were abducted too!" Luffy said.

"Luffy, that's not something to be happy about." Christina told him.

"Let me explain." Pato told them.

 **X**

"What?! We've gotta go save our allies! What are we waiting for?!" Franky yelled.

"So they've fallen into enemy hands? How could they be so stupid?"

"Stupid? What's your excuse? You were abducted too." Luffy pointed out.

"What?!" Franky was surprised again.

"Oh boy...What have I gotten myself into with these guys?" Pato sighed.

"More than you bargained for." I told him, sighing.

 **X**

 **Back at the inn…**

"Looks like they haven't shown up here yet…" Zoro said.

"I went back to the ship, but no signs of them there either…" Franky added.

"Oh? You must be these allies I've heard so much about. You certainly look the part." Yadoya said, walking up to us.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked.

"I was promised that you'd help with the town's construction if I allowed you to stay under my roof." she said.

"That was the favor?" I asked.

"Yes. As you saw already, the town's not in the best of shape. You see, the mayor asked me to find some workers, but until now, the pickings have been pretty slim."

"Dragged into nonsense yet again...Nami would have a fit if she knew."

"Huh? This is the first I've heard about any town construction." Luffy said.

"Oh, is that so? Does that mean you were lying when you agreed that a man's word is his bond?" she taunted.

"What?! Did I say that?"

"Those two also look like 'men among men.' Plus, your other two friends over there look very capable. I can't imagine such men reneging on a promise like that, can you?"

"Ugh…"

"'Men among men,' she says? I can't say I mind being called that! Haha!"

"That settles it then! Sorry if this seems sudden, but I want you to build a tavern! Doing so will provide people with a place to meet and help liven up the town a bit."

"A tavern, huh…? That's not a bad idea…"

"If it's construction you need, leave it to me, the super shipwright! Hahaha!"

 **X**

"There's your tavern." I pointed out to Yadoya.

"It looks wonderful! Thank you!"

"Finally, a place to drink." Zoro grinned, sitting at the bar. As he said that, a sudden burst of wind breezed past us. We had to shield our eyes.

"Ouch! I got sand in my eye!" Luffy yelled.

"Sand? Here?" I asked.

"Are you alright?" Yadoya asked. "Now that you mention it, a warm, sandy wind has been blowing since this morning…Where could it be coming from? This island isn't home to even a single desert…"

"Yeah, and the beaches aren't that big either. The sand from there wouldn't blow around like this."

"Would you mind leaving town to look into the cause for us? I'll never get the laundry done if this keeps up." Yadoya pleaded.

"Wasn't our agreement construction and construction only?" Zoro asked.

"No, Zoro. I think this is worth checking out! There's gotta be something to it!" Pato told him.

"You seem awfully confident...What makes you so sure?"

"Does it really matter?! Let's check it out! Maybe it'll lead us to the others!" Luffy said.

"Then let's go." I said. We headed out to go find the source of the sand…

 **End.**


	22. Alabasta, Enies Lobby and Fishman Island

**I'm probably going to do two or three places per chapter. So this will probably be Alabasta and Enies Lobby. Also, I'll probably only list songs for the islands and characters from this story. All of the other songs would be the music from the game's OST. Enjoy!**

After leaving the town and walking for a bit, the landscape changed again, and we found ourselves in a desert.

"Hot air is flowing in, but could there really be a desert here?" Franky asked.

"By my right hand, I'll dry you out…" said a low voice. We looked up to see someone standing on top of a sand dune. "Kuhahaha...Straw Hat! It's been too long!"

"Crocodile! What are you doing here?!" Luffy yelled at him angrily. We all went on guard.

"Well...what do you think?" 

"I think the disappearance of our allies is all your doing!" Zoro said.

"As good a guess as any. So what are you prepared to do about it? You'll have to follow me to the palace to find out the truth!" he said before dispersing into sand.

"I guess we'll have to go after him, then. Let's go."

 **X**

Along the way, we had to fight some soldiers from the Royal Army as well as the Rebels. Even some of the animals native to the island.

"Haahhh…" Luffy gasped. "I stopped sweating ages ago! Aaron, make some water with your powers!" he whined.

"I told you Luffy, they don't work in dry places. Remember what happened in Impel Down? I can make it as much as I want, but the arid climate dries it up too quickly."

"Ughhhh…Huh? What's happening over there?"

"That looks like...Chopper and Usopp!"

"Kung Fu Point! Hai! Hai! Haya!"

"Green Star: Devil!" The two of them were fighting against more soldiers.

"...Maybe they don't need our help after all, huh?" Zoro grinned.

"Zoro! Luffy! Franky! Aaron! Christina!" Chopper said happily.

"Don't just stand there! Give us a hand!" Usopp yelled.

"You don't look like you need it." I told him.

"Well we do! Just do something!"

"Fine." I said. "Cyclone Slice." I swiped my hand to the side, blowing all of the soldiers away and into the water. I walked up to the river and placed my hand on the surface before shooting an electric current through it, electrocuting all of the soldiers and wiping them out.

"Water!" Luffy yelled, running towards the river. I caught him by the collar.

"Luffy, no. That's water from the sea. It's salt water, which means you'll get weaker and even more dehydrated. If you want some, we'll have to find it someplace else."

"Awww…"

"Aaaahhh! I've missed you guys!" Chopper cried. "When I finally opened my eyes, Nami and Robin and everyone else was gone! I was so scared!"

"Where have you been?! I thought I was going to have to take down a million men on my own…"

"Nukikiki! Chopper and Usopp aren't much help…" Pato muttered.

"So what you're saying is that you wound up in a desert after Robin saw you?" Franky asked.

"What in the world is going on…?" Usopp wondered out loud.

"Can't say for sure, but I have a feeling that the answers await us up ahead." Zoro commented.

"Hey! That's the way you guys came from!" Chopper yelled at Zoro, who was walking in the wrong direction once again.

 **X**

"Aaaaaaah!" Luffy sighed again.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Usopp joined him. "What's with this island?! It's just like Alabasta!"

"It is Alabasta." I looked at him with half lidded eyes.

"What?! How?!"

"It's an ability similar to Pato's. Although I'm not 100% positive on who created it. I have a pretty good idea though…"

"Water!" Luffy complained.

"If it's water you want, just leave it to me!" Pato said. He scribbled on a leaf and turned it into a drill.

"Whoa! That was amazing! But if there's a hole that needs digging, look no further!" Chopper said. "Horn Point!"

"There he is! Chopper the stag beetle!" Luffy laughed.

"I'm not a stag beetle!" he yelled. Thee two of them jumped into a giant pit and dug deep down, causing a giant geyser of fresh water to spring up out of the hole.

"WOW!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes.

"Ahem! Not too shabby! Nukiki!"

"I hope I was able to help!" Chopper said, landing on the ground again.

"Of course. And this water will be fresh since it's below sea level. Drink up, everyone. This may be the only water we find for now." I told them.

 **X**

"I drank my fill of water, and I'm still not full… It's a shame Sanji's still missing…" Luffy groaned. "Hey! Raccoon! You can't make a cook appear with that leaf of yours by any chance, can you?"

"If he was able to do that, we might finally be able to fire our current cook…" Zoro mumbled.

"I can't make a human being or anything overly complicated…Sorry about that."

"Don't feel bad! With sand this dry...Green Star! Bamboo Javelin! Chopper! Dig me a hole!"

"You got it!"

"Look! The bamboo shots may have been harvested a tad too soon, but…"

"Who cares?! Drink up!" Luffy yelled happily.

"Well done Usopp and Chopper! You've inspired me to work harder to serve my boss!" Christina and I narrowed our eyes at him.

"Your boss?" Chopper asked.

"It's nothing! Just talking to myself again, nukiki!" he brushed off the remark.

 **X**

"The palace is still so far away…" Christina said, looking off into the distance. "Aaron, can't you just teleport us there?"

"No. My powers don't allow other people to transport. And even if I did, that would leave you guys behind. Plus, I can only teleport a maximum of 3 times a day. And if the others are up ahead, I wouldn't be able to teleport them back either."

"That's a really big limitation." she groaned, looking at me.

"Well, as my devil fruit name suggests, the main power is that of chaos. Granted, I do get fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water along with it, as those are the elements that create chaos. But it's just basic abilities. It's not like I possess the individual logia powers for those. If you want to be teleported with lightning, you'd have to have Dracule do it, not me. He's the one who has the Rumble Rumble Fruit. And if you want more water, you'd have to ask Arlong, he has the Wave Wave Fruit. The same goes for fire or wind. To have an advanced ability used, you'd need Sabo or Dragon. They have the Flame Flame and Gale Gale Fruits."

"But what about Earth?" Chopper asked.

"Ryokugyu had that one, if you remember. But since he died, both of his devil fruits are now in the Brotherhood's possession. Dragon has the Crush Crush and Order Order Fruits locked up. No one's eaten either of them yet, he would have told us."

"Ouch ouch ouch! Why does this sand have to be so hot?!" Luffy yelled, jumping up and down.

"Because it's hot sand...It'd be one thing if it were just me, but to get all of us across...It appears the time has come! Soldier Dock System Channel V! Long-range guidance systems ON! Brachio Tank Unit V, launch!" As he said that, his mini cannon drove over to the rest of us.

"Are you sure we can all fit in that?" I asked. "As I recall, it only sits 3."

"I've made it bigger since last time. We shouldn't have any trouble."

"Alright then. Hop in, everyone."

"I am Commander Chopper! Forward! March!" he screamed, with the tank taking off towards the palace.

 **X**

After walking through the town, we finally showed up to the top of the palace, the courtyard balcony.

"I hope you remembered to pack enough water! Straw Hat!"

"Don't need water to rain on your parade, Crocodile!"

"Very well then…Have it your way. It's high time we had our rematch. Straw Hat Pirates! Come and get it!" he yelled, slapping his hand on the ground and creating a sand tornado.

"Luffy, my water powers may not last for very long, but they'll stay wet long enough so that I can make him weak. When I do, hit him as hard as you can with your haki!"

"Got it!" I teleported in front of Crocodile and created a water sphere on my fist, coating him in the liquid and getting him wet. Luffy then jumped over me and hardened his fist, punching him in the face and back against the palace. It wasn't enough to beat him, though. Crocodile rushed towards us again and grabbed Luffy with his right hand, beginning to drain his moisture out of his body.

"Tempest Kick: Victory Bird!" Christina yelled, kicking a wave of energy towards Crocodile, which made him drop Luffy.

"Zoro rushed up to him next. "One Sword Style: Great Dragon Shock!" he sliced through Crocodile with haki, which injured him, but didn't split him in half like it did to Monet.

"GRAHHH! GO TO HELL! DESERT SPADA!" he yelled, appearing at the top of the palace and creating an enormous sword out of sand. He slashed it down towards us, but we dodged it.

"Luffy!" I used wind to lift him up and launch him towards Crocodile.

"Second Gear!" He shaved behind him, and hardened his fist.

"Gum Gum Hawk Gatling!" he screamed, punching Crocodile over and over again. The Warlord and former Templar was sent flying, and was finally defeated. Luffy landed back on the ground again.

"Now spit it out! Where are they?!"

"Kuhahahaha...Ever since the old man died...each battle...every battle...has been drier than the last…" He disappeared into sand.

 **X**

"We're back in town, but nothing appears to have changed. If we don't find them soon…" Usopp began.

"Umm...I have something to tell you all…" Pato mumbled.

"Huh? Did you hear that? That sound seemed somehow familiar…" Chopper said as we heard a train whistle.

"Yeah, you're right...I know that sound! It's the sound of the Sea Train's whistle!" Franky exclaimed.

"Then the next place we're going…" Zoro said.

"Yeah. Must be Enies Lobby." I finished. We left the inn and began to leave the town, heading off towards the gate at the front again.

 **X**

"Oh, this is…" Chopper looked around at the new landscape.

"Yep, no forgetting this place...It's Enies Lobby." Franky said.

"Looking for Nico Robin?" asked a husky voice.

"Hm?" We all looked up at the front gate to see an all too familiar face standing there.

"You…! Aren't you the cat boss of CP9?!" Usopp yelled.

"It's the pigeon guy!" Luffy yelled.

"Lucci." I glared at him.

"It's been far too long, Straw Hat."

"Do you know where Robin is?"

"I'm sure I've already told you...But I intend to get rid of 'that woman' once and for all! And while I'm at it, there's three others with her that this world could do without…"

"Three Sword Style: 108 Pound Phoenix!" Zoro yelled, sending his flying slash attack towards him. Lucci dodged it.

"Relax, I haven't killed her...Yet. The fun starts now. Hahaha!"

"Did he say...Kill?" Pato worried.

"Three others...that must be Nami, Brook, and Sanji. Let's get going." We started heading further in and through the front gates, plowing through marine soldiers along the way.

 **X**

"I'm sure you remember...Straw Hat. The place where you first saved her from certain death." Lucci mocked as we arrived at the Judicial Tower.

"I decided that Robin should live. I would never wish death on the person she is now. That said, she's not weak enough to be killed by the likes of you!"

"Evil will not flourish in this world...In the name of dark justice, I will pass judgement upon you!" He disappeared and a bunch more soldiers showed up to fight us. Luffy, Christina, and I all unleashed our conqueror's together, knocking out all of the soldiers.

"I thought that Lucci guy was going to kill Luffy and the rest for sure…" Pato said. "It's almost like...You're merely testing them, boss…"

"What's wrong Pato? You okay?" Usopp asked.

"Huh…? Well, of course I am! I feel better than ever! Nukiki!"

"All right! Let's fly that way!" Everyone grabbed on to Luffy as he flew towards the final destination of the island, where Lucci was. We landed and began walking again.

"You know, there's something I've noticed about these clones that's a huge flaw." I mentioned.

"Huh? What is it?" Luffy asked.

"They may act like they just saw you recently, but the fact of the matter is that they haven't actually fought you since we were actually on the island. Which means that their memories of your abilities are what they saw you display that time."

"I don't really get it…" Luffy said.

"I do." Christina said. "Basically Luffy, he's saying that Lucci hasn't actually fought you since we were here the first time. Which means he doesn't know how strong you became in the last three years. He doesn't know you use haki, and he doesn't know how much you've mastered 2nd and 3rd gear. And that means that he doesn't know you have a 4th and 5th gear. You should be able to beat him without that much trouble."

"I see now! It was the same with Crocodile and Caesar!"

"Right. The last time they saw you was at Punk Hazard and Marineford. So while Caesar knows you possess haki, Crocodile didn't, and that's why he seemed weaker than before." Luffy grinned.

"Then let's go do the same with that pigeon bastard!" We started heading down towards where Lucci was.

"...So you've come." he smiled as we ran through the door. Luffy rushed at him and kicked him, but Lucci blocked it.

"Your allies are up above...It's just you and me!"

"As usual, Straw Hat, I'll say this much. 'You will not pass.'" he claimed as he launched a tempest kick towards Luffy. Luffy dodged, and Lucci rushed towards him, readying a punch. But Luffy had already predicted it with his haki, and punched him back. They rushed at each other and clashed.

"You...You've grown strong."

"Yeah, you too."

"Let's change the setting to something that better befits a final confrontation!" he yelled, transforming into his leopard form, and jumping up through the exit hatch, out to where he fought Luffy the first time. We all jumped up and out into the open to find him hovering in the air.

"Time to settle this once and for all, Straw Hat!"

"Luffy, you might as well go Fourth Gear. Second and Third were barely enough to take him out the first time." I suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. Fourth Gear!" He hardened his arm and blew air into it, inflating his muscular structure.

"Bounce-Man!" Without another word, Luffy flew up towards Lucci, who flew back and prepared a Rokuougan.

"Gum Gum Kong Gun!" He retracted his fist and punched Lucci hard, knocking him far backwards.

"Moon Walk! Ultimate Radius: Rokuougan! He sped towards Luffy and unleashed his strongest move against him.

"That won't work. I'm armored, but I'm still rubbery!"

"What?!"

"Gum Gum Leo Bazooka!" He retracted his arms and smashed them into Lucci's chest, making the leopard human cough up blood and fall to the ground.

"Gum Gum King Kong Gun!" Luffy announced, inflating his fist further, and smashing it down onto him, causing a large shockwave, but ultimately defeating the cat. Luffy landed back down on the ground and undid his transformation.

"The powers I have now were given to me by a certain man…"

"?!"

"I was unable to leave this island or take that woman back with me...It's that man's will that holds me here."

"What are you talking about…?"

"Who's this man, anyway?" Usopp asked.

"Well…" But before he could finish, he turned back into a leaf.

"What was that about?"

"It looks like we've stumbled onto something...We at least know the source of these strange occurrences…" Zoro said.

"Hmm…? What is it?" Pato asked.

"Hey! I found them!" Chopper said, standing near the four others.

"Hey! Robin! Wake up!" Franky said.

"...Oh my. I can't imagine a worse face to wake up to."

"Oh? How about this? Maybe this hairstyle is more to your liking!" Franky said, changing his hair.

"Whoa! How did you do that?! That would make everything easier!" Pato exclaimed.

 **X**

 **Back at the Inn…**

"What a tragedy...I was with Nami and Robin the whole time and I was unable to protect them…" Sanji muttered. "What's worse, I even put them in danger."

"Umm...You do recall that I was there too, right?" Brook asked.

"Don't feel bad, Sanji. It was rough, and we were totally helpless as well...Right, Robin?"

"Right."

"That doesn't make me feel any better!"

"You know, if the shame is just too great for you to bear...My sword and I are here to help." Zoro said.

"Oh ho! Strong words coming from someone who failed to escape capture himself!"

"I don't remember any capture."

"Just because you don't remember doesn't mean it didn't happen!"

"Both of you, shut up." I growled.

"Hey! You there! Why did you kidnap my crew?" Luffy asked Pato.

"It wasn't me who did it. It was my boss."

"Your 'boss', huh?!" Sanji glared at him.

"Uh oh…"

"So, I suppose you can't tell us who this boss of yours is or why he abducted us, huh?" Nami asked.

"Of course not! My lips are sealed!"

"Well mine aren't. I'd be happy to tell you who he is." I said.

"How do you know?! Maybe you're wrong!" Pato claimed.

"I don't think so. I got a call from Dragon a few days ago saying that Patrick Redfield escaped from Impel Down along with clones of both Vice-Admiral Smoker as well as Kuzan. Considering the timeframe, as well as the fact that you and he have similar abilities, it's hardly a coincidence."

"Uh…"

"Patrick Redfield? I remember him." Brook said.

"So do I. I've read about him." Robin said. "And as it happens, he was listed in Zou's archives as a former Templar."

"Yes, he was."

"Do you think he's angry at us for disbanding the order?" Sanji asked.

"I don't think so. He left them a long time ago, and he wasn't an extremely loyal member either. I'm not quite sure why he's targeting us."

"Okay, raccoon. Can you at least take us to where he is?" Luffy asked.

"That I can do!"

"YOU CAN?!" we all screamed.

"Hold on, Luffy! What do you want to meet him for?!" Nami yelled.

"I just want to meet him is all."

"I can't stomach the idea of letting sleeping dogs lie after being deceived like that…" Zoro mumbled.

"Neither can I…" Robin agreed.

"I'm in the same boat. We can't just let it end like this…" Nami said.

"Relax, Nami...I'm the knight in shining armor who'll stop at nothing to protect you and Robin!"

"Well, the weather's perfect for it. Yohohoho!"

"I think I'm coming down with some kind of 'Island Phobia'!"

"You do know that you're already on the island, right…?" Franky asked.

"Uhhh...Then it's got to be an 'Inland Island Phobia!'"

"Haven't you already been inland as well?" Chopper asked.

"Uh, then it's an 'Inland Island Phobia of...Where the boss is!'"

"Such a specific illness...Hope we can meet again after you've recovered. Hehe." Robin laughed.

"Wait! I feel a new phobia coming on! I think it's the fear of the anxiety that comes with being left alone!" Usopp yelled, running after us.

"I feel really bad about deceiving you all like that…" Pato murmured. "I just wanted to make my boss happy!"

"You really like this boss of yours, don't you?" Chopper asked.

"Yes! I've never liked anyone better! Look! Over here! My boss is waiting inside!" he lead us to the next area.

 **X**

"I know where we are...I come here often." I looked around at the serene waters and the colorful coral.

"So this time it's Fishman Island...Every place we've seen up to this point has been a place we've been before…" Usopp said.

"All of this...Is this your doing, Pato?" Nami asked.

"You think I could do this alone? My boss used me to create it! Amazing, right?! Nukiki!"

"I wonder why he would go through the trouble of making all this…" Robin wondered.

"Why, you ask? Now that's a secret!"

"Oh, what a pity. Hehe."

"Wait a second…!" Usopp began. "If Fishman Island is the stage this time, it means that…!"

"...Water Shot!" I looked up to see a water bullet fly towards Nami and Robin.

"Look out!" Sanji kicked the shot, dispersing it. "Your surprise attacks come as little surprise to me…I'll gut and filet you, you old wrinkly shark!"

"Jahahaha! My existence must truly have been decreed by the heavens! How else can you explain the second chance I'm getting at revenge on you inferior life forms?!" On top of the cliff was none other than Hody Jones.

"Hody!" Luffy growled.

"Jahahaha! Thus begins the new Holy War!" he jumped off and further inland.

"...So that's not this boss of yours, is it?" Brook asked.

"Nah, that's not him. That's just another apparition that my boss created with the help of my leaves! Cool, right?"

"Didn't you say earlier that you couldn't create anything as complicated as a human?!" Usopp yelled.

"It's true that I can't do it. But my boss can! He's just that amazing! Nukiki!"

"Couldn't your powers be used to help get us through this without having to fight?"

"Impossible. They listen to my boss and my boss only. Besides, even if it was possible, I could never defy my boss. Fight and fight hard, Usopp!"

"Ugh…"

"We should all keep in mind that since this is Fishman Island, we'll have to fight a lot of Fishmen." I told everyone, catching their attention. "And that may mean not just Hody, but maybe Jinbe or Arlong."

"Mm." they all nodded.

"Let's go." We all walked further into the island.

 **X**

"Hey! If you think about it, we don't really have to engage in hand-to-fin combat with Hody, do we?" Nami asked. "Our only real business is to meet with Pato's boss. We don't really have another reason to be here."

"You're right! Good thinking, Nami!" Usopp cheered.

"Huh?! That won't do at all...My boss will be furious!" Pato complained.

"Yeah well, we're not exactly ecstatic to go fight someone who was on the same level as Whitebeard and Roger. At least not yet." I told him.

"Well, he went through so much trouble to create this for us. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste." Zoro interjected.

"I won't! I want to fight!" Luffy yelled.

"So much for that idea...We won't go further until these two have had their fun…" Usopp said.

"You guys are the best! I'm really starting to like you!" Pato exclaimed.

"Shishishi! Okay! Let's go, you guys!" Luffy cheered.

"Okay!" Zoro said. We all kept going further into the island.

 **X**

We finally made it to the final area. Luffy sprung over the wall while Zoro simply cut the gate, and we all walked through. Standing at the back was Hody.

"The Holy War cannot be stopped...Straw Hat!"

"You're not going anywhere!"

"What?!"

"That's right! We're here to beat you hook, line, and sinker!"

"Luffy, why don't you leave this one to me?" I stepped forward.

"Huh? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. He's a fishman, so his body is made mostly of water. My lightning should destroy him in one blow." Luffy grinned at me.

"He's all yours then."

"You're stepping forth then? I'm not like I was before! I'm more than a match-" Before he could finish, I had already teleported in front of him, and charged up dark purple electricity from my chaos powers. I punched him hard through the chest, and the ensuing electric current shocked him throughout his body. He stood motionless for a moment before turning back into a leaf.

"Whoa…" Pato murmured.

"Impressive, right? Aaron almost killed me once, too!" Luffy said.

"That's not something to be happy about, Luffy!" Nami bonked him on the head.

"What did I tell you?" I began to walk away.

"Splendid." said a deep voice.

"Mm? GAH!" I screamed out before a dark red energy wave pierced through me, and I fell over.

"AARON!" they all screamed.

"What the hell? Haki Healing." I healed myself and looked up to see none other than Redfield floating in the sky.

"Boss Red!" Pato exclaimed before running over to him.

"Boss…? That's him then…" Nami mumbled.

"So you're the one...You're the one who's been playing us like rats in a maze…" Zoro glared at him.

"It couldn't be! It is him! That's Redfield…! The Red Count!" Robin said.

"Robin, you know this man?" Nami asked.

"There was a time when his name was spoken in the same breath as those of Whitebeard and Roger."

"Redfield? Oh dear…" Brook looked on.

"What do you want with me?!" Luffy yelled.

"I want 'what's in your head.'"

"In my head?"

"I've always been very perceptive...The beat of a man's heart half a world away is enough to keep me up at night...And…" He teleported in front of Luffy and placed his hand on his head.

"By touching you like this, I can reach even deeper into you…" Everyone gasped, but Redfield had already teleported past Luffy.

"I created this Fishman Island and the opponents you've faced thus far by inscribing your hearts on leaves."

"But why do such a thing…?" Usopp asked.

"It's simple really. I just wanted to try out the tools at my disposal. For relative newcomers, you've seen a lot of carnage...Quite a wonderful gift really. If I could only get my hands on more prominent individuals like Neptune, Vivi, and Dalton…"

"You could do some serious damage…" Robin figured out.

"What are you up to, old man?! What do you want with Vivi?!" Sanji yelled.

"...I want to be king. The Pirate King to be precise…" Luffy narrowed his eyes angrily and teleported in front of Redfield.

"The Pirate King…? But that's what I want!" he yelled, throwing a punch. But Red dodged it and appeared behind Luffy.

"I'll rip straight through your heart…!" he said, kicking Luffy in the head, and sending him flying into one of the cliffs.

"Damn you!" Zoro and Sanji yelled, rushing towards him. They slashed and kicked at him, but Red dodged both attacks and created a shockwave with his umbrella, sending the other two speeding backwards as well.

"Nami!" Usopp yelled, making her duck to avoid the attack.

"How disappointing...Perhaps I should just put you all out of your misery."

"Boss! No!" Pato yelled. "There's no need to kill them!"

"Hmm...Come here, Pato."

"Okay!" he ran up to him and turned into a pen. "To achieve our aims, the likes of sympathy and generosity must be abandoned...The road I am to walk from now will be a road of carnage." He scribbled on a leaf, creating another Pato, and threw the real one away, making him turn back into raccoon form.

"Boss…?"

"As long as I have him, I'll be fine." Red said, patting the fake Pato on the head. "You needn't walk this road of carnage with me...Farewell, Pato." he said before walking away.

"You can't just disappear when things are starting to get interesting! Come back and fight!" Zoro taunted.

"I've got what I need...And I still have unfinished business...I don't have time to waste on you...Follow me and you'll pay a heavy price with both your body and your mind!"

"Look at me! Does it look like I care about another wound or two?!"

"That chest scar from Mihawk isn't enough for you then?" he mocked.

"Grr…"

"As you wish...Wounded you shall be…" He tossed another leaf towards Zoro. The leaf transformed.

"Gurararara!"

"Whitebeard!" Luffy yelled.

"You've borne the same fate as I...Newgate...You've grown old…" Redfield said before disappearing.

"Gurarara...I never thought I'd be stuck fighting Ace's little brother...Luffy."

"Old man, you treated Ace as if he was your own son…I'd rather not fight you…"

"You don't fight, you die. That about sums it up, right?"

"You always did get straight to the point." I said, stepping forward with Luffy.

"Aaron. You're here too, I see." He looked back at Luffy. "Ace is dead because of you!"

"I'll make you eat those words! I'm gonna give you everything I've got!"

"Gurararara! That's the spirit! Hold nothing back, you little brat!" Whitebeard smashed his fist through the air towards Luffy.

"Seaquake!" We all dodged out of the way as the shockwave barreled through the island.

"Fourth Gear! Gum Gum Rhino Schneider!" he yelled, teleporting behind Whitebeard and retracting both of his legs. He kicked towards him, but Whitebeard blocked it with his arm and another Seaquake.

"What?! He blocked it!" Luffy yelled. Whitebeard then created a white sphere around his hand and grabbed Luffy's head.

"Luffy, no! Get out of there!" I yelled.

"Helmet Break!" He unleashed a shockwave throughout Luffy's head down through his whole body. He coughed up blood and was instantly knocked out of fourth gear. He lay on the ground unconscious.

"LUFFY!" Nami screamed. She ran over to him.

"Damn it! I'll have to do this! Demon Mode!" I jumped towards him. "Chaotic Oblivion Fist!" My punch collided with his, and a large shockwave ensued.

"Phase 2!" I yelled, turning into my silver and blue form, and managing to overcome his power and punch him right in the chest. He fell to his knees.

"Gum Gum…" I looked up to see Luffy well again, and in fifth and fourth gear simultaneously. "...Golden King Kong Gatling!" he yelled, unleashing his most powerful attack on Whitebeard in a flurry of haki-enhanced, golden fists.

"Hrghhh…You've grown strong, boy…" he said before disappearing.

"...Thank you. I will not waste the one life I've got!"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nami asked, kissing his cheek.

"I'll be fine." He assured her.

"Everyone we've encountered up to now...Is he able to just do with them as he pleases…?" Usopp asked angrily.

"He won't get away with this…" Brook mumbled.

"It makes me worry about who else he may have in his arsenal. If he had Newgate, he could have almost anyone…" I said.

"It looks like he was headed for the village...We've got to go after him!"

"What about me…?" Pato asked. "Hey...What am I supposed to do?"

"...What do you want to do?" Luffy asked.

"Huh…?"

"Wait…! Wait for me!" We started to head back towards the town.

 **X**

"Huh...So you decided to come with us, after all." Usopp said.

"What do you mean 'huh'?! I was abandoned by my boss for trying to save your lives! If anything, you're almost obliged to take care of me at this point!"

"If I were you, I'd change my tone, Pato. We have no obligation to you at all." I growled at him.

"W-Wha-?!"

"You've been leading us around to these places purposely just for the chance to confront Red. I've noticed you sneak out some nights to go help him create these places. You guys are the reason that everyone was captured in the first place!"

"He's right!" Sanji yelled. "What do you mean 'obliged'?! We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you! And by that, I mean 'get off of Robin's lap, you raccoon scum!'"

"Hey, Pato...How did you meet your boss, anyway?" Robin asked.

"My boss plucked me from the sea ages ago! I had been imprisoned in a dark, confined space by somebody somewhere for a very long time. It was my boss who rescued me from there. After that, we sailed the high seas as pirates...But now…"

"Hey! Couldn't he just join up with us?" Chopper asked.

"That's for him to decide." Luffy said.

"I see. I suppose you're right."

 **X**

"Hey, have you noticed how chilly it's been lately?" Nami asked, rubbing her arms to keep warm.

"I think it's just you. You're the one who runs around everywhere in nothing but a bikini top." Zoro grunted. Nami smacked him.

"No, I've noticed too." Robin said. "It's probably safe to assume that Red's been busy creating another terrain somewhere on this island."

"Yeah, and I think I've found out where. There's snow on the mountains over there." I pointed off into the distance.

"This island isn't even supposed to have mountains, let alone snow." Christina said. "I think we just found our next trip down memory lane. Let's head out."

 **X**

"Ah…! This place...This is my hometown!" Chopper said excitedly. All of a sudden, the cherry blossoms at the top of the island became surrounded by a thick, black aura and disappeared.

"The cherry blossoms...Where did they go?!" Nami yelled.

"I know that ability...Luffy, it's him."

"Yeah…"

"The doctor's cherry blossoms...Let's head for the mountains!" We started walking up the mountain.

'I'm glad that we're getting a second chance to fight you. Teach.' I looked up towards the top.

 **End.**


	23. Drum Island, Skypiea, and Mt Corvo

**Songs**

 **Blackbeard Intro: Karakuri Defense System, Activate (One Piece OST)**

 **Sabo Appears: The Very Very Very Strongest (One Piece OST)**

 **Luffy vs. Sabo: Cornered Duelist (Yugioh Arc-V OST)**

"Ah. The village. Finally." Luffy said, as we continued trudging up the mountain.

"Mahahahaha!" Yelled an annoying sounding voice. A giant mouth appeared out from under the snow.

"Straw Hat Pirates! Welcome!" Wapol yelled, jumping out from under the snow.

"You…! ...Who are you again?" Luffy asked.

"Fool! How could you forget this face?! I am the great Wapol! The true king of Drum Kingdom!"

"...Who?" we all asked.

"Oh, right...That kind of rings a bell…" Sanji muttered, scratching his head.

"It does…?" Zoro asked.

"Excuse me everyone! But I think I remember him!" Brook announced.

"What are you prattling on about?! I don't even know you! We've never met once!" Wapol yelled at him.

"Oh dear me, really? Yohohohohoho!"

"So what'll it be? I have no qualms about sending the likes of you to an early grave." Nami said.

"Grrr…! Hold your tongue!"

"Be warned Wapol! I'm far stronger than I was when we last met…!" Chopper yelled.

"I got this, Chopper." Luffy said. "Second Gear! Gum Gum Eagle Bazooka!" He yelled, hardening his arms and sending Wapol flying into the sky with his attack. Luffy clapped his hands and dusted himself off.

"Alright. Well, let's keep going." We continued on.

"Fools! I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve!" Wapol bellowed from the top of the mountain. We looked up.

"Oh, he's still alive." Usopp stared with half-lidded eyes. All of a sudden, explosives planted on the mountain began to detonate, causing an avalanche to speed downhill towards us. Wapol stood there with his gun arm and kept firing at us.

"Mahahahaha!"

"Avalanche!" Usopp screamed.

"Luffy!" Sanji yelled.

"Right!"

'Ugh...Now I remember...Two years of absolute hell...Be it by hand...or by leg...I will protect them this time!' Sanji's leg became surrounded in flames.

"Luffy! I'll launch you in there! I'm counting on you! Hell Memories Gum Shoot!" He shouted, sending Luffy flying into the snow.

"Gum Gum Red Hawk!" The fire from the two attacks went right through the avalanche and dispersed it. Luffy jumped back down to where we all were.

"Because I had to go through those two years of hell...This time will be different!"

 **X**

"Up above, huh? Hold on, everyone!" Luffy yelled. "Gum Gum Balloon!" He inflated himself to a giant ball and everyone got on.

"Um...we'll pass." Christina and I said in unison. I used my wind to make the two of us fly up with Luffy while he launched himself towards the top of the mountain.

"He must be here somewhere. Wapol! This time I'm gonna finish you once and for all!" Chopper announced.

"Where is he?" I looked around.

"Mahahahaha! This is your last chance to apologize!" Wapol yelled, standing in front of the castle. "If you do not, I will unleash moves so fierce that they'll have you shivering and shrieking in agony! Do you have any idea what I just ate?"

"! There!"

"Huh? What are you halfwits looking at?!" He looked behind himself. "Y-Y-You! You once destroyed my kingdom!"

"Zehahahaha! If I recall correctly, you tucked tail and ran! Some king you are!"

"O-Okay! It doesn't matter who! Whoever gets me out of this mess will be handsomely rewarded! Hell, you can even help yourself to half of my kingdom!"

"You're as despicable as ever...Thinking of nothing but yourself…" Chopper muttered. "Monster Point. Scratching Hoof: Palm Tree!" He knocked Wapol into the sky and far away, making him turn back into a leaf.

"You sure made short work of him, Straw Hat!"

"Ah…!"

"Did you know that I was watching from the shadows back then as well? So deeply moving. An older brother giving his life for his younger! I could almost cry! ZEHAHAHAHA!"

"Why you…!" Nami yelled.

"Nami!" Luffy held his arm out in front of her.

"Why the long face?! From the start, it was his destiny to die and your destiny to live on. That's all there is to it. It wasn't your fault! ...Or was it?" He grinned maliciously.

"...I've got nothing to say to you." Luffy muttered.

"Well I do." I said. I teleported in front of Blackbeard.

"Huh?!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" I activated Phase 2 of Demon Mode and smashed my fist into his face, sending him flying through the castle.

"Aaron!" Nami yelled. However, Blackbeard formed in front of us again out of darkness.

"I see...I was just trying to show a bit of courtesy the only way I know how. It matters little to me, Straw Hat! If death is your wish, I'll be more than happy to lay you at your brother's side!" He yelled, forming darkness on one hand and a white sphere on the other.

"There's a drawback to his devil fruit, Luffy. In exchange for nullifying devil fruit powers, he takes more damage than usual. He also isn't able to become fluid like a normal logia eater. So this one's simple. We just need to hit him hard enough and fast enough."

"Perfect." He grinned, smacking his fists together. "I'll hit him faster than he can imagine. Fifth Gear! He yelled, becoming engulfed in golden aura.

"What's this? A new power?" Blackbeard asked.

"I guess you could say that. Gum Gum Golden Pistol!" He yelled, teleporting in front of Blackbeard and firing a punch into his stomach faster than the eye could see.

"G-Gwah…!" He was sent flying backwards and hit the front gate of the castle. Luffy sped towards him again, but this time Teach saw through Luffy's attack. He grabbed his arms, nullifying his powers. He then smashed his tremor-powered fist into his chest.

"Severe Earthquake!" Luffy was sent flying back, and he coughed up blood when Zoro caught him.

"Luffy! Are you alright?!" Nami asked.

"Y-Yeah...I'll be okay…"

"If your power is darkness, then maybe I should shine some light on it. Moonlight Pillar!" Christina shouted, creating a pillar of white light that crashed down on Blackbeard, causing him to fall to the ground.

"I'll defeat you with Ace's power…!" Luffy said, standing up slowly and panting. "Gum Gum...Red Hawk!" He yelled, rushing towards Blackbeard and smashing his fist through Blackbeard's chest. A large explosion of fire burst through him, and when Luffy pulled his fist out, there was a hole going all the way through him.

Nami ran over to Luffy so he could lean on her. Pato looked up at the top of the castle, noticing Redfield looking down nonchalantly, then disappearing.

"Boss…!"

"..."

"Hey...Would you mind if I joined you? I've thought it through...Even now, I want nothing more than to serve my boss...But as long as my second self gets the job done, I guess it's almost the same thing...Nukiki! That's why I want to join you guys…"

"...Well, we don't want you." Luffy proclaimed.

"What?! But why not?! Didn't you say it was up to me to decide?!"

"...We don't want you."

"Wait a second! Luffy…?!" Nami asked, worried.

"Give it a rest...He's made up his mind." Sanji said.

"Besides, one raccoon's enough." Zoro added.

"I'm not a raccoon!" Chopper yelled. 'What's with you, Luffy? When it was me, you kept hounding me no matter how much I refused…'

"..."

"Don't worry! If you really want to be one of us, Luffy will eventually let you join." Chopper said.

"If I really want to be one of you, you say…? It's just...why not now? He was fine before about letting me join…Is he still mad about me tricking you?"

"No. He's clearly over that." I said, walking by and following Luffy.

"Huh?" He looked up at me.

"Rethink your reasons, Pato. To Luffy, they're not genuine. That's all." I said, continuing to walk.

"...Hey...Why are you named Pato, anyway?"

"...My boss gave me this name. I have no idea what it means, though…"

"I see...It has a nice ring to it. My name came from the doctor responsible for those cherry blossoms.

 **X**

 **Back at the Inn…**

"What do you think Red meant when he said he had 'unfinished business' to attend to on this island?" Robin asked.

"Now that you mention it, he did say that, didn't he?" Franky asked.

"We've spent all of our time chasing him, but we might be able to beat him to the punch if we knew his motives…"

"He's supposed to be after a certain devil fruit." I said.

"Huh? Really? Which one?" Luffy asked.

"I don't know. So other than that, I've got nothing."

"It's true. My boss is after a devil fruit." Pato said.

"We're grateful to learn even that much...But are you really allowed to tell us that?" Brook asked.

"Well, if you thought that I really wanted to join you, you'd eventually let me join, right? I just thought that Luffy might have a change of heart if I proved myself useful..."

"..."

"But we don't have any idea as to where to search for this fruit he's after…"

"Why not just let him have it, and see where it leads?" Zoro smirked.

"You just want to fight him after he's made himself stronger!" Usopp yelled.

"If we assume that he's the only one who knows of this fruit, it might be in our best interest to continue chasing him as we have been…" Robin mentioned.

"I agree. These islands he's creating are the best chance we have of catching up to him at this point. If we wait for him here, he may just find the fruit and leave without us ever knowing." I said.

"Then it's decided! We're going after him!" Luffy shouted.

 **X**

"The Sky Islands!" Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp all yelled, bouncing around on the clouds.

"The clouds are so fluffy!" Chopper said, sleeping on one.

"Ahh! What a wonderful feeling! ...Do you think I died and went to heaven without knowing it?!"

"You're already dead…" Franky mumbled.

"Oh, you're right! YOHOHOHO!"

"Hey! So all of us ended up here after chasing Red?" Nami asked. "Do you know what that means?"

"Oh hey, Nami. Have you been up here long?" Luffy asked.

"We sure have. Feels great to be up in the clouds. It's been way too long!" Usopp cheered.

"It's been way too short if you ask me...I never wanted to come back to this place." I muttered.

"We have to assume that he created this terrain to buy himself some time…" Robin said.

"You're right! He's trying to slow us down! We have to keep moving!"

"Do we have to?" I complained. "I'm not looking forward to seeing Eneru again…"

"Eneru's here?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy, it's Skypiea. Who else would be here?" Nami sighed, exasperated.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." I said, walking further into the island.

 **X**

"Yahahaha! You've come at last, Straw Hat!" Eneru bellowed, standing on top of a tree once we made it to the jungle. "This time I will obtain the Golden Belfry and make my way to the Fairy Vearth!"

"The Golden Belfry exists in this time and place as well? I'll never let it fall into your hands, Eneru!" Luffy yelled back up at him. He zapped away with a bolt of lightning.

"Wait a second! Weren't Eneru and the bell just created by Red with the help of the leaves?" Nami asked.

"Even if they are both fakes, do you really expect us to watch in silence as he runs off with the bell?" Zoro asked.

"Don't you guys get it?! That's how Red wants you to respond!" She yelled.

"Even though we know that the bell and Eneru are fabrications meant to buy your boss more time…" Robin muttered. "We'll never get anywhere if we don't abide by our captain's wishes."

"Umm, I'm not so sure that he knows they're fake…" Usopp said.

"Is becoming our ally what you really want to do?" Robin asked Pato.

"What I...What I really want…?"

"Well, in any case, we should get going. Nami, standing around won't get us anywhere. We know that they're only fakes, but wouldn't you rather fight them with the chance of catching Red's attention and stopping him?" I asked.

"Well, I…"

"Exactly."

"Come on, Nami! It'll be fun!" Luffy encouraged.

*sigh* "Fine."

"Great!" Luffy picked her up and started running through the jungle.

"LUFFY! SLOW DOWN!" I heard her scream.

 **X**

"You'll never get that bell!" Luffy yelled as we ran to the final part of the island. Eneru looked at us and grinned.

"I'm going to start with everything I've got! Max 200 Volt Amaru!" He yelled, transforming into his Raijin form and creating lightning that ruptured through the ground towards us, shattering it.

"Fall Blue Sea People! Fall!" He yelled as we fell down the hole.

"We are!" I yelled back at him. I jumped off of one of the pieces of rubble and jumped towards Eneru, punching him in the face with a hardened earth fist, causing him to be thrown back a bit.

"Third Gear! Gum Gum Elephant Gatling!"

"Grahh! El Thor!" He screamed, creating a column of lightning.

"Dodge it!" I yelled to Luffy, who did.

"Let's see who's electricity is stronger!" Luffy yelled. "Nami!"

"Got it! Thunderbolt Tempo!" He yelled, electrifying Luffy. Luffy carried her up and he activated Fifth Gear.

"Gum Gum Golden Lightning Hawk!" They yelled together, piercing through Eneru.

"RAHHH! I cannot be defeated! I am a god!"

"Gear Third! Armament! Gum Gum Elephant Gun!" He yelled, smashing his fist into Eneru and defeating him once and for all. He was sent sailing straight into the bell, just like the last time.

"Well good for us, but we're still falling!" Nami screamed.

 **X**

"If not for the clouds below us, I might have died…" Brook said. "If I weren't already dead, that is! Yohohoho!"

"Huh? There!" Luffy yelled, looking down to some ruins where Red walked out.

"Boss…!"

"It wasn't here either…How about it Nico Robin? How would you like to help me look for that fruit?"

"I assure you that your assistance won't go unrewarded." He smirked.

Sanji threw himself towards Red.

"She'll never fall for your hollow promises!"

"Mil Fleur! Gigantesco Mano!" A giant hand appeared and smacked Sanji again.

"Sanji!" Nami yelled.

"Could it be…?!" Usopp asked. When the hand disappeared, Robin stood at Red's side.

"Robin?!" Nami yelled.

"No, that's not me! It's my-!" Robin said.

"Ah. How could I forget? You already work for me. Guess my memory's going with age…Well then, Nico Robin. We best be on our way."

"Yes." she smiled and followed him.

 **X**

"Damn that old man! He ran off with my Robin!" Sanji yelled.

"I'd hardly call her 'your Robin'..." Usopp muttered.

"Shut up! Fake or not, I have to rescue her! Ahhhhhh!" He started running out of the inn before Luffy smashed his fist into his head, knocking him out.

"Now that he's got his own Robin, we have no chance of finding that fruit before he does…"

"Well, we can still count on Luffy's animal instincts at least!" Chopper said.

"I smell food! Innkeeper! Is it time to eat yet?!" Luffy shouted excitedly.

"I only just started preparing it...That's quite a nose you've got on you."

"Ah! It's no use! He's focused on something else!"

"This sounds like a job for my Super Radar!" Franky yelled.

"Radar?!" Chopper said.

"To start, please insert the object you want to find into the transmitter…" he said in a robot voice.

"Some help that is!"

"At any rate, we can count ourselves lucky if mine is the only copy working with Red…"

 **X**

"Luffy, there's another island!" Pato told him.

"How do you know?"

"My abilities are linked to that of my copy. I can tell when there are new islands being created."

"Well then, let's take off!" We all ran out of town to go to the next island. Soon enough, the landscape changed again and we found ourselves surrounded by a lush, green, and peaceful village.

"...Now where are we? Anybody remember this place?" Usopp asked.

"Anybody?" Brook asked.

"I've got nothing…" Franky said.

"This place…!" Luffy and I exclaimed together.

"What is it, you two? Do you know where we are?" Nami asked.

"Of course I do! This is where I was raised!"

"Fushia Village…" I said.

"Where you were raised?" They all asked as we walked through the village and into the forest.

"Yeah! This is where I grew up! Grandpa raised all three of us."

"You've been here before then?" Nami asked me.

"Yeah, when I was dropping Luffy off with Garp. Dragon and Amaryllis did say that it was too dangerous for a baby to be part of the Revolutionary Army. And with a then 1.5 billion beri bounty on him, Dragon was the most wanted criminal in the world." We continued walking into the forest before coming to the foot of a mountain.

"Luffy, do you know anything about this mountain?" Nami asked him.

"Yeah. This is Mount Corvo. The place where Ace, Sabo and I first met."

"Ace? Sabo?" Pato asked.

"Luffy's older brothers." Chopper told him. "Two years ago...ah, never mind…"

"Alright! Let's climb to the top!" Luffy said. We all followed him. Along the way we met a bunch of wild wolves.

"What an environment to grow up in, hehe." Robin chuckled.

"Can't help but grow strong in a place like this." Usopp added.

"Yeah." Luffy said, knocking a wolf out of the way. "And considering that Gramps would always throw me into here at night to become stronger…hahaha!" Luffy laughed.

"Now I'm kind of glad that I didn't grow up the way you did…" Nami said.

"Why would it make a difference? I thought you were out collecting treasure for your village most of the time anyway?" Luffy asked.

"Well, I was. But still, even if it was dangerous, it's not like I was constantly fighting off savage wolves, bears, and gorillas as a child."

"It's just like Usopp said. You end up growing strong in a place like this. You would be too. You'd learn how to survive."

"Hmph." she looked the other way.

"Besides Nami, you ended up being super strong anyway, even without this environment. You have all 3 types of haki, which only 4 of us have."

"Luffy, what's this place?" asked Zoro.

"Dadan's house. It's been ages."

"Dadan?" Chopper asked.

"She was a good-natured bandit. Gramps left us with her when we were kids. I wonder how they're all doing…" As we kept walking, we arrived at a clearing where there was a bridge that crossed over the gorge.

"Ace used to push me from this bridge sometimes. Back then, I got in all sorts of trouble. I even came close to being killed by a wolf. Shishishi!"

"That's no laughing matter!"Nami yelled at him. "That's why I said that I didn't want to grow up with you three terrors! But if that's the kind of relationship that you three shared…"

"I'm starving! Luffy interrupted.

"We could go hunt a bear or something…" Zoro suggested.

"Shishishi! Let's do it! Big game equals big meat!"

"There's a bear over there." I pointed further up the mountain.

"Yahoo! I love bear meat!"

"I'll leave the ingredients to you…" Sanji sighed.

"That settles it then! Bear stew tonight!" After taking care of the bears, some gorillas started coming towards us.

"Whoa, that's a gorilla we're up against! Just what kind of mountain is this?!" Sanji yelled.

"Luffy, how many more animals are there?!" yelled Usopp.

"Dunno...since these are made by Red, there could be a never-ending amount of them…" he said, thinking.

"Well, I'm sick of fighting them!" Nami yelled, walking forward and blasting Conqueror's haki through the area, knocking all of the animals out.

"There." she sighed annoyed, placing her hand on her hip. "Now we have a clear path up the rest of the mountain.

"That's my Nami." Luffy smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah, yeah. I love you too, Luffy." she kissed his cheek. We continued walking up the mountain until coming out into a clearing at the top. There was a big treehouse at the back, and a tree stump over on the side with three small red sake cups.

"And this place…?" Nami asked.

"This is where we became brothers."

"The sake cups of brothers…" Zoro said.

"I've been waiting for you, Luffy." said a familiar voice. We looked up to see Ace standing on the top of the treehouse.

"Tch! Damn it all…!" Sanji cursed. "I should have known it'd come to this!"

"We have no choice but to fight, right…?" Nami asked.

"Right…" Ace said.

"Stand down, Luffy." Nami said, readying her clima-tact.

"No, I'll handle it." Luffy said, walking forward.

"But…" she said softly.

"He said he'll handle it…" Zoro said. "Let him." Ace jumped down and faced Luffy.

"That is not Ace…" Luffy said.

Luffy, let's do this!" Ace said, flames swirling around his arm.

"Fire Fist!" he yelled, firing a blast of flames towards Luffy, who dodged.

"Gum Gum Hawk Pistol!" Luffy yelled, hardening his fist and smashing it into Ace's stomach.

"Ggh...you know Armament too, huh? I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from you…"

"Hmph. Second Gear! Gum Gum Jet Hawk Gatling!" he yelled, unleashing a flurry of fists that devastated Ace.

"Dai Enkai: Entei!" he yelled, swirling flames around on the ground, and jumping into the air, creating a massive fireball.

"RAHHH!" he shouted, throwing the ball down towards Luffy, who pulled his hat over his eyes.

"Fifth Gear. Gum Gum Golden Eagle Bazooka." he said, hardening his arms and pulling them back. He jumped towards the fireball and shot right through it, dispersing it and flying towards Ace. He launched his hands forward and smashed them into Ace, sending him flying. He hit the back of the tree and slid down to the ground.

"It doesn't look like old man Red is here anymore…" Luffy said.

"I'm not really sure what's going on…" Pato said. "Isn't this person important to Luffy? If so, why is Luffy fighting him so hard…?"

"It's because he's so important…" Nami told him. "He fights hard, because that guy really means a lot to him."

"He fights someone...Because they're so important to him?"

"Never mind Luffy's problems, what about yours?" Sanji asked. "How does it feel to be replaced as your boss's right-hand raccoon?"

"My boss's right-hand raccoon…? You…! You don't know him! You have no right to say that…!"

"You're right, we don't." Luffy said. "You're the only one among us who does." He continued walking past him.

"..."

"Pato! If you don't catch up soon, you're getting left behind!" Chopper called.

"Wait up! I'm coming!" We started walking down the mountain again.

"At least this time we don't have to deal with any wild animals. Nami took care of them all." Luffy sighed.

"You're welcome." she said.

 **X**

We finally reached the bottom of the mountain and got back to the village, but when we tried to go back to Transtown, we couldn't.

"Huh? I can't get past. There's like, an invisible wall here!" Luffy said.

"What? That's impossible. 36 Pound Phoenix!" Zoro said, drawing one of his swords and using his flying slash attack.

"My attack went through fine…" He walked up and pressed his hand against an invisible barrier. "What is this?"

"It's a special kind of barrier that my boss can use. It only disappears after we finish everything we needed to do here. Which means that there's still something left to do." Pato said.

"Well, what is there? We already took care of Ace." Usopp said.

"Well, did you take care of me?!" another voice yelled. We all turned and looked towards the village to see someone standing in the middle of the clearing, in front of the windmill.

"Ah! Sabo!" Luffy said. Sabo grinned and brought his pipe over his shoulder.

"Heya Luffy. You still have to go through me if you want to go back."

"Grrr...fine! Gum Gum Red Hawk!" Luffy yelled, running towards him with a hardened fist and flames around it. However, Sabo simply caught the attack.

"Wha-?!"

"That won't work on me. I've been trained by Dragon and Aaron, Luffy. I'm stronger than Ace. In fact, I'm stronger than all of the others that you've faced so far. Most of them couldn't use haki, could they? But I can. This fight's not going to go as smoothly as you might think." Sabo formed his dragon's claw on his hand and hardened it with haki. He slammed it into Luffy's stomach and ignited it.

"Burning Dragon Claw Fist: Fire Flame Dragon King!" he yelled, unleashing a swirling flame and powerful impact from his attack, sending Luffy flying backwards.

"Hrghh...Yeah...This will be harder to work with. Then how about this? Fifth Gear! Gum Gum Golden Pistol!" Luffy yelled, becoming cloaked in golden aura and teleporting in front of Sabo.

"Wh-What-?!" Before Sabo could do anything, Luffy's fist slammed into Sabo's stomach, which sent him back. Sabo recovered by sliding back on his hand. He and Luffy rushed at each other, exchanging haki-enhanced blows. Each hit landed, and they were taking a lot of damage.

"Fourth Gear: Gum Gum Golden King Kong Gun!" Luffy yelled.

"Blue Fire: Fire Fist!" Sabo said, increasing the temperature of his fire, turning it blue. He launched the blue flames towards Luffy in a huge burst, while Luffy threw his most powerful single-shot attack combined with Fifth Gear towards Sabo. The two attacks clashed, and were equal for a time, but Luffy then charged up his other fist and unleashed a fury of attacks.

"Gum Gum Golden King Kong Gatling!" he yelled, now dominating Sabo's attack and defeating him once and for all.

"W-Well done...Luffy…" Sabo smiled before turning back into a leaf.

"Thank you...Sabo…" Luffy said before walking back to the others.

"The barrier's gone…" said Pato.

"Ah, good. Then let's head back." Luffy said, heading back to the inn, the rest of us following behind him.

 **End.**


	24. Marineford and Baltigo

**Songs**

 **Kaido Calls: Sasuke's Ninja Way (Naruto Shippuden OST)**

 **Aaron vs. Dragon: Luffy vs. Ratchet Round 2 (One Piece OST)**

 **Demon Mode vs. Dragon: Mihawk's Theme (One Piece OST)**

 **Seven Terraces of Purgatory: Asura's Wrath Main Theme (Asura's Wrath OST)**

"Well then, I wonder what's in store for us next?" Sanji asked. A large explosion then sounded. "What was that?!"

"An artillery shell, if I'm not mistaken…" Franky said.

"A shell...Hey! You don't think the marines have caught wind of this, do you?!" Usopp asked.

"Why are we able to hear it from the inland part of the island?" Brook asked.

"It's because it's the next of the battlegrounds Red's prepared for us…" Robin said.

"Let's go!" Luffy yelled.

"Aye!" Usopp agreed.

"..."

"You use your head too much, racoon. You should try trusting your gut from time to time." Zoro told him.

"My gut?" Pato asked. We started going towards the new island.

"Where do you think we're going this time?" Chopper asked.

"It has to be somewhere with marines. And considering we've already been to Enies Lobby, that leaves two options." I said.

"Mm…" Luffy looked down.

 **X**

"This is…!" Nami gasped.

"Marineford!" Robin said. A familiar scene was laid out in front of us.

"Ah! Could it be…!" Luffy started. We looked far down the island to see who the 'final boss' of this island could be. Standing on the execution platform was none over than the Red Dog of the Marines.

"GRRRRRR….AKAINU!" Luffy screamed, running off towards the execution platform.

"Luffy, wait!" Nami called after him.

"And there he goes…" Zoro said.

"I guess we should go after him…" I said.

"All right, everyone! Let's clear a path for him!" Zoro said.

As we began leaping from iceberg to iceberg, a figure stood in front of us, blocking our way.

"Step aside, Jinbei!" Luffy yelled.

"You know I can't do that! We are enemies after all! If you want to pass, you'll have no choice but to fight and defeat me!" Jinbei yelled.

"I don't have time! Third Gear: Armament! Gum Gum Elephant Gun!" Luffy yelled, blowing his fist up to massive proportions and slamming it into Jinbei, sending him back across the ice, damaged. He tried to get up, but couldn't manage it, and turned back into a leaf.

"Having to fight Jinbei like that...makes me sick to my stomach…" Nami mumbled.

"Let's go!"

"Luffy! Wait!" Nami called out to him. We barreled our way through marines and continued moving forward. Eventually, we got to the last segment of the ice-covered area. The lava area was just ahead.

"Up ahead...something feels very wrong…" Pato mentioned.

"M-Maybe we should think twice about this…" Chopper said.

"I feel it too. There's something strange about the road ahead…" Zoro added.

"Is everyone ready? This time, there may be no turning back, so make sure you're prepared…" Franky warned.

"Let's just go already." I sighed, walking in front of everyone.

"Well, look at this...All lined up and ready to surrender." Kizaru stood in front of us.

"Move it!" Luffy yelled.

"Do you really think I'm one to just lie down and roll over? How sad. How very sad. Here and now...you all die." He said, turning his expression from a smile to a dark look.

"Speed times mass equals power you know! And I'm the fastest man alive." Kizaru said before speeding across the ground and kicking Luffy back. He jumped up in the air and shot a laser towards him.

"Luffy!" I yelled, jumping in front of him and deflecting the beam.

"We'll take care of this! Go on ahead!" Zoro yelled.

"Zoro?!" Luffy asked.

"He's tough enough to break a bone or two, but we're stronger than ever." Sanji said.

"Break a bone or two? That's the last thing I need to hear! Yohohoho!" Brook joked.

"I refuse to accept anything less than victory!" Usopp said.

"Just go, you two!" Christina yelled.

"Got it! He's all yours! Let's go, Aaron!"

"Right!" We started running past Kizaru.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked, charging up his foot with light particles. Sanji blocked his leg, causing his blast to be sent off in a different direction, exploding and creating a dome of bright yellow energy.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me. I said that we're stronger than ever!"

"!" Pato gasped, looking after the two of us.

"You should follow them. Those guys have got guts in spades!" Zoro yelled, picking Pato up and tossing him towards us.

 **X**

"Here I am, Akainu!" Luffy yelled up to the execution platform.

"You left your allies behind. It's probably for the best that they be spared the sight of your death…!"

Zoro rushed at Kizaru, dodging a beam of light and slashing towards him, but Kizaru dodged that one too. Sanji then spun around and kicked towards Kizaru, but the admiral caught it with one hand. Sanji lit up his leg with fire and spun around, trying to kick him again. But Kizaru used his powers to teleport behind him and kick Sanji down into the ice with a powerful explosion ensuing.

"Franky Radical Beam!" Franky fired his signature technique at the yellow admiral. It created an explosion as powerful as the powers of Kizaru's fruit.

"How's that for ya?!" Franky grinned. When the smoke cleared, Kizaru was there, unaffected.

"If you're going to hurt me, it has to be both strong and coated in haki." Kizaru teleported in front of Franky and kicked him back.

"On second thought, maybe I'll kill them first. Ryusei Kazan!" Akainu yelled, coating his fists in magma and launching lots of fireballs towards the ice area. Kizaru teleported away, making the others duck for cover and become injured by the ensuing explosions.

"Enough!" Luffy screamed.

"What do you guys think you're trying to pull…?" Aokiji asked as Luffy ran past him. He turned around quickly.

"Aokiji!"

"What?!" I turned around, finding an ice clone behind me.

"Damn! Too late!" I cursed as Kuzan touched me trapping me in place with his freezing ice. He did the same with Luffy.

"You should just shut up and watch...the death of your friends…" Kizaru had already taken down everyone and shot multiple light lasers into Zoro.

"Noooooo!"

"Luffy, wait for me! I can help you!" Pato cried, running towards him with his drill. But he was blown back by a pillar of fire. I looked up at the execution platform. Akainu stood there with his fist ignited.

"There's no need for that. Lay off." he said sternly, crossing his arms. Luffy launched his fist at Aokiji, but the admiral dodged it.

"Stop it!"

"Fire-" The clone froze the rest of me before I could blast flames at him. The real Aokiji teleported in front of Luffy and placed his hand on his head, causing the ice to grow and continue freezing Luffy. He created a spear from his powers.

"Don't worry. You'll be joining your friends soon enough…" He lifted his pike into the air, preparing to stab Luffy, but it was shot out of his hand by a burst of fire.

"You?! But why?!" Pato yelled.

"Ace!" Luffy said happily.

"I'm here to protect you." he said, fire bursting around him. "I promised as much after all."

"You'll pay for interfering…!" Aokiji said. "Pheasant Beak!" he called, sending out an ice pheasant, the source of his epithet.

"Mirror Flame!" Ace cried out, blasting a wave of fire towards Aokiji's attack. The two powers clashed, cancelling each other out.

"I have the right to interfere...you're messing with my brother!" I heated up my body temperature and melted the ice. Ace and I joined forces.

"Fire Fist!" we yelled, launching a powerful wave of fire towards Aokiji. He tried to stop it with his ice, but was overpowered and burnt, sending him flying back.

"LEAVE LUFFY ALONE!" we yelled, punching him in the chest, knocking him further back. The ice around Luffy's feet disappeared.

"Thank you, guys! I thought I was a goner!"

"Huh? What's Ace doing here…?" Nami asked. The others were nearby, looking at us. 

"We're all here...Does that mean he's been defeated?" Luffy asked.

"I told you to leave it to us, right?" Zoro said.

"...I wish I could say it was easy, but truth be told, we're all on our last legs…" Sanji said. "We can count on you to finish the job, right? The three of you, I mean…"

"You sure can!" Luffy reassured. Aokiji got back up on his knees and created an ice arena that surrounded Ace and Luffy.

"You're not letting me fight?" I asked, looking up at him.

"No. I hold no grudge against you. But once I finish off Straw Hat and Fire Fist, you and Christina are next." Akainu jumped down into the arena.

"Time to put an end to your accursed bloodline once and for all!"

"Luffy! What do you say we get out of here?!" Ace asked.

"You can count on me, Ace! Let's go!" They jumped towards Akainu.

"I'll wipe you out for good! Daifunka!" he yelled, launching a magma fist towards the two brothers. They dodged the attack and attacked him from the sides.

"Hmph." Akainu melted his whole body, trying to do the same to their fists, but they jumped back before he got the chance.

"Third Gear: Gum Gum Elephant Gatling!"

"Dai Enkai: Entei!" The two used two of their strongest attacks. Akainu made a magma clone and countered the two attacks with Ryusei Kazan. The clone disappeared and he appeared in front of Ace, punching him back.

"Inugami Guren!" he yelled, creating his magma attack and going towards Ace. Ace got brushed by it, and slightly burnt, but jumped back in time so that he missed the bulk of the attack. Akainu quickly switched his sights to Luffy.

"Meigo!" he yelled, igniting his fist and slamming it into Luffy's stomach and blowing a hole through it.

"Luffy!" Ace yelled, rushing over to the admiral and knocking him into the ice, causing it to melt, which extinguished him temporarily.

"Luffy, are you okay?! Haki Healing!" Ace healed Luffy using his Conqueror's Haki, fixing the hole in Luffy. He slowly got up.

"I think I've had just about enough. This will end the same way as last time! Fourth Gear! Fifth Gear! Gum Gum Golden King Kong Gatling!" Luffy yelled, launching his most powerful attack at Sakazuki, finishing him off. The two brothers punched him back.

"Ace...How is he able to act on his own…?" Pato asked. "It shouldn't be possible for him violate my boss's orders…!" Robin smiled at him.

"I was just wondering the same. Perhaps it's because they 'hit each other with everything they had…'"

"Everything they had, you say…"

"Fire Fist!"

"Red Hawk!" Luffy and Ace yelled together, firing a blast of, well, fire at him. Akainu retaliated with Daifunka.

"Magma and Fire are one in the same! Do you really think your measly little fire play is enough to best me?!" But he was proven wrong and the fire overcame the magma, blowing him back against the platform. He fell over, and turned back into a leaf.

"One in the same? You don't say! Neither my brother nor I are much for study! Nothing bores us more!" Ace said.

"Luffy!" Nami called out, as the rest of us walked over to them.

"We defeated Akainu…! Again!" Luffy cheered. "Ace! We did it-!" Luffy looked next to him, but Ace had already disappeared. His leaf got blown away by the wind.

"Don't worry, Ace. I'll be alright." He walked back towards us.

"Hey...If he did the same to me...Would it work? Would it change my feelings?" Pato asked.

"It'd be nice if it did, but he's stubborn and a bit difficult at times…" Nami said.

"I see…"

"But, at the very least, I can say that he's changed me. It doesn't matter how closed your heart is. He's strong enough to break through any barrier."

"Hehe, it was the same with me." Robin said.

"Me as well, to be honest." Sanji agreed. "He just hates to give up…"

"It was the same with me." I added. "And I almost killed him, too."

"Hmm? What are you guys talking about?" Luffy asked.

"...Thank you everyone! I'm going to try my best to give it everything I've got!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if that's what you want, that's all that matters, right?" Luffy asked the racoon.

"That's right! Nukiki!"

"Let's get out of here. I think I've had enough of this place to last me a lifetime." I said.

"Yeah, me too. Let's go." Luffy agreed. **[A/N: I did it with the Sabo part, but at this point in the game, the next fight would be the last one. But to accommodate for this story, there will be more islands and enemies of my own devising, like I've mentioned before. So from this point on, excluding the final battle, this will be my own work.]**

**X**

"Ahhh…" I sighed, leaning back in my chair.

"What's next for us, then?" Usopp asked.

"Well, at this point, we don't have a clue as to where Red is. But since he keeps spending the time to make these islands, it means that he still wants us to go after him. So until there's another island, we can't really do anything."

"The sun's setting. We should go to bed soon. Let's not worry about it too much." Nami said.

 **X**

We decided to stay in the ship that night, as we were getting kind of tired of the inn. I was up in the kitchen, making a drink.

"Bada bada bada bada bada. Kacha." I picked up my snail phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey." said a very deep bass voice.

"Yo. What's up, Kaido?" I asked, putting it on speaker and continuing to make my drink.

"I heard you're going after Redfield."

"Yeah. Although we've just been going on a wild goose chase so far. He makes all these islands that we've already visited, and we end up fighting all of our old enemies."

"I know. I used to be a member of the Order, if you remember. I knew Red before he left us."

"Oh yeah. Why did you leave anyway?"

"I became too powerful. I was a Warlord at the time, but left the Order because I became an Emperor."

"That didn't stop Shanks from staying in the Brotherhood."

"Well that's because Shanks has always been a big believer in the Brotherhood. But as for the rest of us, we don't really care anymore. Whatever happens happens. An emperor lives in the here and now. We only deal with immediate threats."

"Hmph. Says the man who attempts suicide as a pastime."

"I can afford to do that. My 3 strongest underlings, the 3 Disasters, all have bounties of at least 1 billion. They can deal with it. When have I ever needed to take care of someone myself because they weren't strong enough to?"

"You're forgetting your fight with Dragon. You lost."

"That was a long time ago. By the way, they raised your bounties again, now that the World Government is getting itself back together."

"Oh yeah? How much."

"Dragon's has increased to 4 billion, and you to 3 billion."

"I see." Just then, I heard a knock on the door.

"Aaron? Came I come in?" It was Nami.

"Sure." She opened the door.

"I'll catch up with you later. I've got to go now."

"Alright. See ya."

"Bye." I hung up.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Kaido." Her eyes almost bulged out of her sockets.

"Don't worry about it. What's up?" Her face turned red and she sat down at one of the bar stools.

"I want your help with something."

"What?"

"Well, Luffy and I have been dating for almost a year now, and...our one year anniversary is in a month." I took a sip of my drink.

"Go on."

"Well, you see...the thing is...his present." She was fidgeting around a lot.

"Nami, you look uncomfortable. Spit it out already."

"Hrghh...Fine! I was going to have sex with him as a present!" There was a pause before I started sipping my drink again.

"Oh, is that all?"

"What do you mean, is that all?! It's important to me!"

"So what did you come to me for? You shouldn't need my help for something like this."

"Well, that's the thing. You know as well as I do that Luffy can be pretty dense when it comes to romance."

"You're asking me how to convince Luffy to sleep with you?" I asked her.

"Well...yes." she mumbled.

"It's not that hard, Nami. You already sleep in the same bed together, just tell him that there's something 'extra special' that night, I don't know."

"I came to you because you're a guy! Only guys really know what guys want to see or hear!"

"True, but Luffy's in a league of his own when it comes to what he wants. No one can really tell half the time."

"I guess you're right…" she sighed. "I just don't want to ruin everything. I mean, what if he doesn't want to?"

"Nami, trust me, there's not a man alive who would say no to sex if a girl asked them. Especially if it was someone like you or Robin or Hancock."

"I know, but Luffy's just so different. I'm just not sure."

"What you need to do is ask another woman about this, not a man. Follow me." I led her into my room and we found Christina spinning around on a chair and admiring herself in the mirror.

"Yes?" she asked happily, fluttering her eyebrows.

"Nami has something to ask you."

"What is it?"

"I need to know how to convince Luffy to have sex with me." she said, her face still red, looking at the floor.

"..."

"Um, Christina-?"

"So let me get this straight." she said sternly, cutting Nami off and crossing one leg over the other, leaning forward and placing her hands under her chin.

"You're asking ME how to get your boyfriend to fuck you?"

"Wow. Jeez, could you be any more blunt?" I asked, staring at her blankly.

"P-Please don't say it like that…" Nami muttered, embarrassed. Steam was literally blowing out of her ears.

"That's exactly what it is, Nami." she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "And why are you asking me of all people? Go ask Robin."

"She asked me first and I brought her to you for advice."

"Well, I only have one piece of advice for you. You need to figure it out yourself."

"What? But I came to you because of your experience with this kind of stuff. You've had sex before, right?"

"Well, sure I have, with my boyfriend. But that scenario has nothing to do with yours. Every relationship is different. You need to figure out how to seduce Luffy on your own. What did you tell her?" She looked at me.

"Well they already sleep together, so I told her to just tell him she has a surprise for him when the night comes. She has a month to figure it out anyway." I shrugged.

"Exactly. Don't stress about it too much, Nami. And besides, if you think you're not ready yet, then do something else with him. You don't have to have sex yet if you don't want to."

"Okay...Okay, I guess you're right. Thanks, guys."

"Sure. Anytime." She closed the door, leaving the two of us alone.

"...So, do you think she'll end up doing it?"

"Obviously. It's Nami, after all." I told her.

 **X**

I rubbed my head, still half asleep when I walked to the inn the next morning. I sat down at the bar.

"Can I get a glass of water, Yadoya?" I asked.

"Me too." Luffy said.

"I'm afraid I can't. We're all out of water. The wells dried up last night."

"What? How can that happen? In one night?" Nami asked.

"Yes. I discovered this morning that it was due to peculiar white and dry sand." Christina and I sat up.

"White and dry sand?" we asked together. We all went outside and I bent down, picking up a handful of the sand and feeling it in my fingers.

"It's the same sand found on Baltigo. I think we've just found our next island, guys."

 **X**

"Would you hurry up?!" I yelled towards Christina. Everyone except her was waiting at the entrance to the next island. She finally came down towards us with a bottle of rum in her hand.

"You're drinking? At 10 in the morning?"

"Well, there's no water, so what else am I supposed to have?"

"Whatever. Let's go."

 **X**

"Well, here we are. The base of the Revolutionary Army." I pointed out, seeing a single large building in the distance. Everything else was a white sandy wasteland.

"Is this all there is? There's only sand." Usopp said.

"Exactly. We're supposed to be subtle, and hidden from the World Government. What did you expect, we were set up like Raften?"

"Well, maybe not quite to that extent, but Zou has a pool, bar, archive, fight arena, and lounge. Not to mention shops and armories."

"Well, we can afford to have that on Zou, because of its location. It's on a giant elephant that's constantly moving, so it's never in the same location, like Baltigo is. Nevermind that. Let's keep going. I imagine that our opponent is inside the base."

"And I imagine that you'll be dead before you get there." said a calm voice. We spun around to see the cyborg himself standing in front of us.

"Kuma…" I said, walking forward.

"Hello again, everyone. And goodbye. Ursus Shock." he said, launching a red bubble that quickly expanded, preparing to detonate.

"Everyone get back!" I yelled. We jumped out of the way in time so that the explosion didn't injure us too much. I jumped towards Kuma and punched him hard with haki, splitting his head in half. But he healed the damage by repairing himself.

"What?! I thought you couldn't heal fatal injuries like your brain or heart!"

"When I underwent my final modifications, my brain was removed to get rid of emotion. I am simply a robot now, no longer a cyborg. You can't beat me by destroying my head. It will just repair. The same goes for my heart."

"...Raika Blast!" I yelled, jumping back and charging up fire on one hand and electricity on another.

"I told you, a shot through my torso won't kill me."

"I'm not aiming for your torso. I'm aiming for your entire body. I need to blow you up all at once! Demon Mode!" I went into the first phase of Demon Mode, turning black and purple, and powering up my attack. I blasted it towards Kuma, and his entire body was vaporized, leaving no trace of him left. I went back to normal and sighed.

"Alright. Let's keep going."

 **X**

We arrived at the entrance to the base and opened the doors, walking inside and navigating towards the lookout room, where Dragon stays.

"Welcome, all of you." He said calmly, turning around and facing us.

"Dragon." I said. "This is between you and me."

"I agree. But you see, when you're about to lose, I'm sure your friends will jump in, so why don't we stop that from happening. Hurricane." He said, quickly swiping his hand to the side, and blowing a strong wind around the room, knocking all of the others away from the two of us and injuring them.

"Why, you…!" Dragon already appeared in front of me and punched me back with a powerful haki-encased punch. I was sent flying back through the building, smashing through the walls of 3 different rooms.

"Ugh…" I lay in a pile of rubble as Dragon continued walking towards me.

"Do you really think that you'll be able to beat me? All of our years together, all of our battles together, and not once have you ever won. I'm afraid that this is the end for all of you."

"Not quite. I have the power to stop you now, I know I do."

"Well then, prove it."

"Fire Fist!" I yelled, jumping up and blasting fire towards him.

"Hmph." Dragon swiped his hand to the side, creating a gust of wind. The fire and gust clashed, but naturally, the wind only fed the flames and increased them in size and strength.

"As long as I use fire, you can't win!"

"Do you really think that's true? How naive." Dragon jumped through both the wind and flames and punched me in the face with a hardened fist. I flew back once again, but recovered.

"Demon Mode!" I yelled, going into the first phase. I teleported in front of Dragon and punched him hard, sending him back to the other room. Dragon wiped his mouth and looked at me, now covered in a black and purple aura. He threw his cloak to the side and cracked his knuckles. He and I jumped at each other and began exchanging blows.

'He's keeping up with me in this form and still not even breaking a sweat. He hasn't even transformed yet…'

Dragon punched me back and then kicked me in the chin, sending me upwards and off of the ground. I gritted my teeth and kicked his head down, then locked my fists together and slammed them down on his back. The ground cracked as he hit it, but Dragon quickly got on his hands, spun around, and kicked me back, then jumping back up to his feet. He rushed over to me and cloaked his hand in wind and haki. He and I clashed once again, but I was blown back.

'I can't beat him like this.'

"Demon Mode: Phase 2!" My speed and power increased further as my form changed from black and purple to silver and blue. I punched Dragon back, kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing through the window and falling down into the sand. Dragon's room was set up much like an observatory or planetarium. It was in a large circular shape, and overlooked the desert with a large semi-circle shaped glass window spanning from the floor to ceiling around the second half of the room. I walked over to the shattered window and looked down at Dragon, who still lay in the sand. He stood up and brushed himself off. He took off his black suit and white shirt, and threw them to the side. He then began to transform.

"Lizard Lizard Fruit. Model: Dragon." He transformed into a large, pitch black winged dragon. He glared down at me.

"Cyclone Incineration Blast!" he yelled, firing a burst of fire and wind towards me.

"Chaotic Pandemonium: Oblivion Burst!" I yelled, extending my hand and firing a blast of silver and blue chaos towards Dragon's own attack. They collided, and cancelled out.

"Chaotic Pandemonium Fishman Karate: Nine Circles of Hell. First Circle: Limbo!" I teleported in front of Dragon and kicked him hard in the chest, knocking him back.

"Second Circle: Lust!" Purple lightning surged around my foot as I appeared under Dragon and kicked straight up with my foot, knocking him into the sky.

"Third Circle: Gluttony!" I jumped up above Dragon and inflated my leg with my water abilities, slamming it down onto his head, knocking him back down to the ground.

"Fourth Circle: Greed!" I activated my chaos powers and haki and jumped in front of Dragon's head, spin kicking him, making him land on his back.

"Fifth Circle: Anger!" I charged my fist with fire, and launched it towards him, similar to Samegawara Seiken. The fire burned him.

"Sixth Circle: Heresy!" Dragon had already dispersed the flames and began rushing towards me. I appeared in front of him and punched him with a chaos and haki powered fist. This sent out an internal shock wave through his form, making him stumble and fall over onto the sand.

"Seventh Circle: Violence!" I propelled myself back and forth with my wind abilities and slashed him each time I passed by his body. The windstorm sliced his scales up, and caused blood to go everywhere.

"Eighth Circle: Fraud!" I activated my earth powers and punched Dragon's head hard, cracking it open, and destroying his dragon form.

"Ninth Circle: Treachery!" I charged up my fist with purple, black, silver, and blue energy, propelling myself towards Dragon, preparing to plunge through his chest and kill him. But he saw through the attack, and caught my arm before I could do it.

"You'll have to do better than that to beat me." he said coldly, before kicking me back against the building.

"Transformation: Dragon of White Brilliance!" Dragon underwent his transformation into his most powerful form: a humongous white and shimmering dragon with glistening blue eyes. This form was much bigger than the previous black one. I sighed and looked down, my hands on my hips.

"I guess I'll have to use my new progression then." I took a different Fishman Karate stance.

"Again? I told you that you'd have to do better than those moves to defeat me?"

"Oh, I heard you. This is different. You see, Hell isn't the only place that exists in the afterlife. There's still Purgatory and Heaven too. And each of them is split into sections as well. So let me show you some new techniques that I came up with."

I brought my hand in front of my face and slowly lowered it.

"Demon Mode: Phase 3." My aura surged around me, and I changed colors again, this time going from silver and blue to red and black.

"Chaotic Anarchy Fishman Karate: Seven Terraces of Purgatory. First Terrace: Pride." I used my earth powers to shift weight onto my feet, cracking the ground as I crouched. I shot up into the air, and flew directly over Dragon. I shifted all of the weight into my shoulder and arm and dropped down towards him. I landed on him HARD. He screamed out in pain as I flipped back in front of him.

"Second Terrace: Envy." I used my lightning powers to create two thunder clouds by Dragon's ears. Red lightning bolts blasted into his ears and the ensuing loud thunder claps and snaps made him cover his ears and he still yelled.

"Third Terrace: Wrath." I blasted fire into Dragon's eyes and used the wind to enhance it and cause the smoke to stay there and not blow away.

"Fourth Terrace: Sloth." I started running around him, and used my lightning abilities to increase my speed to superhuman level. I continued to rush around him and then began to run on his giant body, causing the lightning to electrocute him continuously with every step.

"Fifth Terrace: Covet." I jumped on top of Dragon's back above his spine and hardened my fists with both haki and my earth powers. I began slamming them repeatedly into his back, preventing him from moving whatsoever.

"Sixth Terrace: Gluttony." I kicked Dragon's chin upwards, causing him to fall over onto his back, unable to get up. I flew down to his stomach and raised my foot above my head, then stomping it straight down, heavily damaging him.

"Seventh Terrace: Lust." I put my hands together and fired a blast of fire towards him, then rushed around to the back and fired off another one. I repeated this multiple times, and ended up burning his Dragon form alive, ending Dragon. I undid my transformation and looked down at his scarred, beaten, and broken body. It quickly turned back into a leaf and blew away in the wind. I closed my eyes and headed back up into the building, gathering the rest of the crew.

 **End.**

 **I have to admit, the Purgatory Terraces were harder to come up with moves for than the ones for the Circles of Hell. In the first Terrace, Pride, souls have to carry heavy boulders around on their backs. In the second Terrace, Envy, their eyes are sewn shut, so they can't see anything, they can only hear. In the third Terrace, Wrath, they are blinded by smoke for all eternity, so they are unable to see. In the fourth Terrace, Sloth, they are forced to move around constantly without rest. In the fifth Terrace, Covet, they are face down and prevented from moving. In the sixth Terrace, Gluttony, they are destined to starve, while trees bearing fruit are above them, just out of reach. And in the seventh Terrace, Lust, they are forced to run back and forth through flames, calling out sins that deal with sexual desire (Sodomy and things like that). I imagine it will be even harder for when I use the 10 Spheres of Heaven later on, maybe next chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!**


	25. Solacia: Christina's New Form

**So after reviewing the Spheres of Heaven's characteristics, I think it would be really difficult to create attacks based on those traits. Luckily, because the Spheres are named for the different planets, I can base the attacks after the atmospheres of each of the planets. Enjoy! If you want to see what Christina's new staff looks like, go here: art/Metal-Staff-001-11572087**

 **Songs**

 **Solacia Streets: Drive (Hardwell & Sick Individuals)**

 **Vs. Hancock: Wildfire (Hardwell & Thomas Newson)**

 **Chasing Mihawk: Hammer of God (Hardwell & Husman)**

 **Vs. Mihawk: Heavy Guns (Hardwell & Jaggs)**

 **Christina's New Form: Karma (Kokia) [Phantom: Requiem of Phantom Opening 1]**

"Unh...what happened?" Nami asked groggily. They were all asleep in the inn. I sat at the bar.

"You were all knocked out by Dragon at Baltigo, remember?"

"Oh yeah...wait, then why are we back here?"

"I fought and defeated him, and carried all of you back."

"Huh?! You beat Dragon?!" Christina shot up from her bed.

"Yeah, what of it? What, you didn't think I could?"

"W-Well, no, it's not that...It's just, how did you do it?"

"I've developed my techniques further. That's all." Everyone sat up.

"You're all familiar with my Nine Circles of Hell progression, right?" They all nodded.

"Well, the afterlife is divided into three main realms, according to old religious texts and legends: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Hell is divided into nine different circles, each more treacherous than the last. The first circle is Limbo, where those who were unbaptized are. The second circle is Lust, where those who were overly sexual in life are sentenced. The third circle is Gluttony, where those who were constantly gorging and binging in life are sent. The fourth circle is Greed, where those who were completely overcome with money and its value are sent. The fifth circle is Anger, where those who were overly furious and held grudges in life are held. The sixth circle is Heresy, where Heretics who denied the existence of God and the Church's authority in life are kept. The seventh circle is Violence, and is subdivided into three rings. The outer ring houses those who committed violent acts against others and their property are held. The middle ring consists of those who committed suicide and acts of violence against themselves are held. And the inner ring consists of those who committed acts of violence against God and nature. The eighth circle is Fraud, which is also divided into 10 mini areas, collectively known as the Malebolge. The first Bolgia is for Panderers and Seducers, the second is for Flatterers, the third for Simonists, the fourth for Sorcerers, Astrologists, and False Prophets, the fifth for Corrupt Politicians, the sixth for Hypocrites, the seventh for Thieves, the eighth for Fraudulent Advisors and Evil Counselors, the ninth for Sowers of Discord, or those who are only self-motivated, and the tenth for various falsifiers, such as Alchemists, Counterfeiters, Perjurers and Impostors. And the ninth circle is Treachery, home to the traitors."

"W-We won't be sent to any of those places, right?" Chopper asked worriedly.

"Certainly not. This is according to religious legends. And even if you were to be sent to one of these realms, it wouldn't be Hell. Sure, Nami may be greedy, and Luffy Gluttonous, but you make up for it by all of the good acts that we perform."

"In any case, what about the other two realms?" Robin asked.

"Right. Purgatory is home to those who committed sins more by motives rather than actions. It is separated into seven terraces, and is based off of three types of love. The first three terraces deal in perverted love, for those who take delight in seeing harm done to others. The fourth terrace is for deficient love, for those who were lazy and didn't care about their place in the world. And the final three terraces are for those who had excessive love for good things. The first terrace is Pride, for those who were too blinded by their hubris in life. The second terrace is Envy, for those who were upset and jealous when someone else received good fortune. The third terrace is Wrath, for those who were angry and furious throughout life. The fourth terrace is Sloth, for those who never took action and did anything with their lives. The fifth terrace is for the Covetous, for those who had excessive concern for earthly goods, such as money. The sixth terrace is for the Gluttonous, for those who over-emphasized food, drink, and bodily comforts. The seventh and final terrace is for the Lustful, for those who were misdirected in their sexual affairs. And above the seventh terrace, at the top of the realm is the Garden of Eden, also known as the Earthly Paradise."

"So these sinners were there based on motives?"

"Right. And unlike Hell, the sinners of Purgatory have the opportunity to purge their wrongdoings by re-pledging their allegiance to God and by doing work. So these sinners were placed there more because their crimes were psychological, not physical."

"So what about Heaven?" Brook asked.

"Well, Heaven is divided into 10 spheres. The first three spheres still deal with deficient forms of love, but the other 7 deal with positive forms. The first sphere is the Sphere of the Moon, where those who abandoned their vows and promises reside. The second sphere is the Sphere of Mercury, where those who acted out of selfishness are. The third sphere is the Sphere of Venus, where those who were deficient in love reside. Granted, it's not as if they cheated on their husbands, they'd probably be in either Purgatory or Hell for that. It's probably just because they either divorced or remarried in life. The fourth sphere is the Sphere of the Sun, where those who were educated and intelligent helped to illuminate the world intellectually during their lifetimes. The fifth sphere is the Sphere of Mars, where those who served honorably in wars and conflicts and overcame their own self doubt and cowardice through courage reside. The sixth sphere is the Sphere of Jupiter, where those who were fair and just rulers during their lifetimes stay. The seventh sphere is the Sphere of Saturn, where those who embodied temperance and self-restraint are. The eighth sphere is the Sphere of the Fixed Stars, the sphere of the church triumphant, where those who served their church honorably reside. The ninth sphere is called the Primum Mobile, where the angels reside. This is the last sphere of the physical universe. The tenth and final sphere is known as The Empyrean. This sphere exists in a plane beyond the physical universe and is where God resides. In this circle is a rose that resembles divine love, and the petals are home to those who were faithful while alive. Beyond this lies the Trinity, which consists of three rings, all considered to be the embodiments of God. The third ring is God's Spirit. The second ring is Jesus Christ. And the first ring is God himself."

"So...in other words…" Christina said, trying to piece everything together.

"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." I said, closing my eyes and drinking from my glass. "In any case, the next island appeared last night, if you guys are ready to head out."

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Luffy said excitedly.

"Alright. Then let's head out."

"Oh, shouldn't we tell Yadoya that we're leaving though?" Nami asked.

"Just go already, hurry up and get that island out of here!" Yadoya yawned, standing behind the bar half asleep.

"You look awful, what happened?" Robin asked.

"That island that appeared last night is what happened. It blasted music all night, and it was so loud, I didn't get any sleep!"

"I think I know what island it is…" Nami mumbled, looking slightly annoyed. Sanji's and Brook's faces slowly lit up before they dashed out of the inn and towards the island at a superhuman speed screaming:

"SOLACIAAAAAAAAAA!"

I sighed.

 **X**

We walked down the familiar streets of the nightclub island.

"You know, I don't know if we can actually do anything here. It is only a copy of the island after all…" I told everyone.

"But they were all the same, and took damage in the same way. I mean, Enies Lobby even had the Buster Call set up too." Usopp said.

"In that case, why don't we stop by Hancock's club and get something to drink?"

"YES!" Sanji, Brook, and Zoro all yelled.

"Need I remind you that we're supposed to be here looking for Red?" Nami scowled at them.

"I think we should, regardless. It would be good for us to see how this island differs from the real thing."

 **X**

We finally made it to the club, and walked up towards the door before finding someone in our path.

"Ah. I thought you might be one of our opponents."

"Did you now? I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less of you. Or the rest of you~!" Hancock blushed, attempting to attract us to her. It didn't work on myself or Luffy or Nami, because we were used to her, or were already in love with someone else. However, the rest of them, no matter how small, gave off a faint blush.

"Love Love Beam!" Hancock formed her hands into a heart and produced a heart-shaped beam that turned everyone to stone.

"Hancock! Turn them back!" Luffy growled angrily.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Luffy~! What was I thinking?! Or is that what you thought I'd say?" she laughed, sporting an arrogant smile, similar to her previous personality before she met him.

"I'm a copy of the real thing. Therefore, I'm not quite as gullible or lovestruck as she is. I'm afraid that I'm not going to simply fall to my knees and do whatever you say." she smirked, rushing towards Luffy and kicking him across the face, sending him flying into a building.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled.

"You too, thief." she said coldly, aiming another strike for Nami. She quickly hardened her arms and blocked the attack, their conqueror's haki clashing with dark red and black lightning flashing around the streets.

I ran towards her and began throwing punches, but she kept blocking them and spinning around on her hands while kicking us. We both jumped back, and Luffy came out and joined us.

"This is not going to be easy." I told them. "Not just because she's a Warlord, but because she's a Master Assassin, just like us."

"Pistol Kiss." Hancock created 5 small pink hearts from her fingers that floated in midair. She made a gun shape with her hand and placed her index finger behind one of the hearts. She closed one eye as if aiming, and then fired it off towards us with the sound of a gunshot. We dodged it, but she continued to do this.

"Second Gear!" Luffy shouted, becoming red in color and emitting steam.

"Gum Gum Jet Pistol!" he yelled, rushing towards her and unleashing his attack. She dodged it instantly using haki, and then hardened her foot, bringing it down on top of Luffy's head, which made him fall to the ground, creating a large crater.

"Fishman Karate: Samegawara Seiken!" I yelled, unleashing a blast of wind and water towards her. She stumbled back and fell to her knees, weakened from the water particles. I rushed in front of her and kicked her into the air, then charging up lightning on my hands and zapping her, making her cry out in pain before disappearing into a leaf. Everyone else now turned back from stone, and Nami healed Luffy.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Y-Yeah. I'll be fine." We continued walking through the streets.

"What are we doing now?" Zoro asked. "It just seems like we're wandering around aimlessly."

"How is that any different from what you do every day?" Sanji mocked.

"Hey!" he yelled, the two getting ready to fight once again.

"Shut it, you two." Christina said, slamming her fist down on their heads.

"If we were already done here, the island would have disappeared. This is the same situation that happened in Fushia Village. We can't actually leave until we finish everything here that we're meant to do. So there must be someone else left to fight."

"You'd be wise to keep on your guard." said a malevolent voice that came from the rooftops. We spun around and looked up.

"Black Blade Single Flash." A massive green wave of energy rushed towards us. We narrowly dodged it as it tore through the ground and effortlessly cut a building in half.

"Dracule." I said, looking back up at the swordsman.

"Black Blade Arc Moon." He slashed towards us in rapid succession, launching multiple green energy waves. While we were busy dodging them, he jumped off the roof and stood on top of his sword, plummeting down towards us.

"Black Blade Violent Star." He came crashing down, and aimed towards Nami's heart. She was too busy dodging the other slashes to get out of the way in time.

"Nami!" Luffy yelled, rushing towards her. She gasped as she noticed the fierceness in his eyes. There was no way she could dodge this attack in time, no way that she could take on an opponent like this.

"Fifth Gear!" Luffy yelled, teleporting to her side in a golden flash and pushing her out of the way and into safety.

"Luffy!" she screamed as he got pierced by Yoru right in his chest. He began bleeding profusely. Mihawk looked down at him emotionless, and looked back at the rest of us.

"Earth Crawling Slash." he recited, his blade emitting a green glow. He smashed it into the ground before a giant green wave of energy erupted across the ground, breaking it apart, and heading straight for me.

"Taking the strongest out first, huh?" I asked, unsheathing my own sword.

"Hmph." was all he responded with.

"Black Blade First Day!" I yelled, slashing downward with a black beam of energy that countered and dispersed Mihawk's. He backflipped up into the air, stabbing his sword into a building, and then used it as a foothold to flip up again to the rooftop.

"I'm not going to make this easy for you. If you want to defeat me, you'll have to catch me first." He said, beginning to run off down the rooftop.

"Tch! Damn. You're in charge." I told Christina. I aimed my gauntlet towards the rooftop before shooting the rope launcher into the side of the roof, flying up along with it, and climbing up. I started running down the roof after Mihawk. I jumped from building to building, occasionally swinging from a sign. He did the same. I almost forgot, we trained together in free-running too. We used to run across the rooftops of our hometown every day. Eventually, he stopped at a large roof that was big enough for the two of us to fight on. I drew my sword, as did he.

Without wasting another moment, we rushed at each other, and began slashing around, hearing the collisions of steel.

"Black Blade Arc Moon!" we both yelled, continuously launching green and black energy waves at each other, which all cancelled out. But then he disappeared in a flash of lightning and reappeared behind me, making me widen my eyes. Oh, right. He ate the Rumble Rumble Fruit.

"Shit." I said before he placed his hand on my back.

"200 Million Volt Vari." he said before electrocuting me with the same voltage of a bolt of lightning. I coughed up smoke before falling onto my knees, shaking from the pain.

"You...don't waste any time, do you?" I wheezed.

"No. Not at all. Sango." he said creating a ball of electricity in his hand and then blasting it right in front of me, creating a huge dome-shaped explosion of lightning.

"D-Damn it…" I coughed, spewing blood and falling over.

"I knew you couldn't handle this." Christina said, looking down at me scornfully. She stepped over my body and faced off against Mihawk.

"You? You want to fight me? You know you're not as strong as Aaron."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. We're more or less equal. He doesn't know it, but I've been training too. I have a new transformation that I've been saving."

"Oh? Show me."

"Moon Goddess Form Phase 2. Tsukuyomi's Punishment." She now stood in a new form. She wore a shimmering white gown. She had a new staff that was silver. At the top was an elegant design that looked like a cross between a lunar and floral pattern. In the center was a light blue sapphire. Wrapped around the design were two crescent moons, one silver like the staff, and one that was light blue. The design curled up into a leaf shape, and further up to a small indent, where there was another light blue sapphire, that marked the top of the staff. She twirled it around before hitting it down onto the roof.

"You can't beat me." she said commandingly. Her hair had gone from dark brown to black now and was considerably longer, reaching down to her waist. She had a lunar symbol on her forehead, and her eyes had changed color to purple. She usual black boots were now white. Over her gown, she wore a long white robe with black sashes wrapped around her shoulders and torso.

"I disagree. You think that this new form of yours is enough to beat me? 200 Million Volt Amaru." he said, before a blue beam of electricity enveloped him and he stood in his transformed state.

"Raigo!" he yelled, lifting his hands into the air and shooting lightning from his fingertips up into the sky. Before long, a giant black ball of electricity fell from the sky towards her. She lifted her hand up to the giant orb of lightning and shot a burst of moonlight into it, causing it to shatter and disperse. Mihawk's eyes widened before she lifted her staff up into the air.

"I told you. You can't win. Now get out of my sight. Luminescence Retribution." She stated before she tapped her staff onto the ground once again. Mihawk undid his transformation in confusion as nothing happened. But a few seconds later, his body began to glow and he gasped before his body exploded from the inside out. Blood flew everywhere, a little bit even landing on Christina's face as she closed one of her eyes in disgust. The remains of his body turned back into the leaf they were originally from.

"Gross." she said, wiping her face off and going back to normal. She walked back over to me.

"Hey, wake up." I didn't move.

"Ugh, for God's sake, he's still unconscious. I guess I'll have to carry you." She picked me up and flung my body over her shoulder.

"Heavy bastard." she cursed. "Come on, let's go." she said as she dived off the rooftop.

 **X**

"...Mm?" I muttered, slowly opening my eyes. I was back in the inn.

"What happened?" I asked, looking around to see everyone.

"You were defeated by Dracule, remember?" Christina asked.

"Ah. You're right. Well, who beat him?"

"Me. After all, who has to take responsibility for your actions more than half the time?" she mocked.

"You beat him?"

"Of course. I've gotten stronger too, you know. My new power is equal to your's."

"I see…" I said, lying back down.

"Don't get too comfortable. You and I have a mission to do tonight, you know."

"A mission?" I asked.

"Yeah. Nothing complicated. You just need to spot targets for me while I snipe them from a distance."

"Oh."

"You should start getting ready. I'll meet you at the tavern when you're done."

"Got it."

 **X**

I yawned as I walked out towards the tavern. Everyone else was already asleep. I glanced at the clock. Midnight. I walked over and sat down next to Christina, who was examining her sniper rifle. I noticed a glass where she was sitting. My eyes narrowed before asking,

"How much did you have to drink?"

"Ummm...let me think…" she said, putting her finger to her chin. "Three glasses of wine, three cans of beer, and...4 shots of vodka?"

"You're drunk." I said outright.

"You know it." she winked.

"Why? You know we have a mission. And what's worse, you're the one behind the gun. How are you going to aim when you're completely plastered?"

"I dunno. I'll figure something out." she said before loading the gun and closing the barrel. "Man I love bolt action rifles." she smirked, putting the gun over her shoulder and putting her hand on my arm.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Evergia."

"Alright. Hang on." I said before we disappeared in a flash of lightning.

 **End.**

 **Short chapter, I know, but right now I don't really have much time to focus on this considering I have finals next week. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.**


	26. Raften and Transtown: The End

**Some Mihawk and Hancock moments in this chapter. Enjoy!**

"Do you see them?"

"Yeah, I see them."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Are you really sure?"

"Would you shut up?! You're ruining my concentration!"

"I didn't know you had any concentration at all."

"I'm not that drunk anymore!"

"Are you kidding? You couldn't even walk straight when we left town!"

"Yeah, and it took us a while to get here! I've sobered up since then!"

"It took literally 5 seconds to get here! We teleported, remember?!"

"...Oh yeah. Oh well, whatever." Christina looked back through the scope, and used her Observation Haki to distinguish the targets.

"One down." she whispered, closing one eye and pulling the trigger. The gun went off and went flying, hitting the enemy straight in the head, making him fall over immediately.

"Jesus Christ!" I yelled. "There's no silencer on that thing?!"

"Shit! No, there wasn't!"

"Well hurry up and take out the rest of them! Now that you did that, they probably heard it, and will start firing back!"

"You know, even if they hit us, the bullets would just go right through. These guys are regular rebel guards, I seriously doubt that they use haki."

"Well I mean, yeah, but that's not to say that a stray bullet will hit the gun. Plus, it's easier while they're confused and don't realize what's going on."

"...Yeah, you're right." she turned back to the scope and fired in quick succession, killing three people in a row. After another five shots, she finished, pulling away from the scope and slinging the rifle back over her shoulder.

"You're done?" 

"Yeah."

"Anything else we have to do?"

"We have to capture the fort and make the leader support the Revolutionary Army."

"That means we'll have to fight more guards along the way." I said as we walked towards the fort.

"No, probably not. Koala already scouted this place out last night, and said that the guards that are stationed outside are the only ones that guard the leader. So I already took care of them."

"Alright." We walked into the courtyard of the fort.

"Ah, through there." she pointed to the front doors of the building. She walked forward and reached to turn the doorknob when the doors slammed open and she was sent flying.

"Oh. It looks like they do have someone else. I wonder why Koala didn't know about this one?" I looked over to see none other than Jesus Burgess standing there.

"Oh...You. Well, since the real Blackbeard Pirates are all dead, I can only assume you're one of Redfield's copies."

"Wiihaha! It's you! I hope you're ready to die!" He rushed at me.

"You're annoying. Go away." Christina said, appearing under Burgess and kicking him in the stomach, sending him flying through the fort.

"Moonlight Pillar." she said, engulfing the whole building in a bright white light before everything disintegrated, including Burgess.

"That was boring." she sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Honestly, is there no one in this world besides you and Dragon that can give me a good fight?"

"Apparently not. You're just that good." I responded, searching the remains.

"Damn straight." she sighed, crossing her arms.

"Oh. Here's his leaf." I pulled it out. "But it doesn't look like anyone else is here. I thought there was a leader here?"

"I guess not. I wonder if Red conjured Burgess to kill the leader?"

"Maybe. I guess there's nothing left here for us. Everyone's either dead or they fled." Christina opened her mini snail phone wristwatch and dialed Dragon.

"Yeah?"

"It's done. We took care of everything. One thing though. There wasn't a leader. Only a copy of Burgess that Red made. We don't know what happened to the leader, if he's dead or if he's gone."

"I see. Well, no matter. It was an easy job for the two of you anyways. I guess the only matter left is the Treasure Room."

"There's a Treasure Room?" We looked at each other.

"Yeah. It's not part of the main building, Koala found it a little ways back."

"Okay."

"You guys keep it. Use it as a little extra money for the crew."

"Alright, thanks. Talk to you later." She hung up. "Let's go." We walked about a half a mile north before finding a small shed. We opened the door to find a staircase leading down underground. We walked downwards and opened another door to find a huge room full of treasure.

"We can't carry this much." Christina said, starting to stuff a bag full.

"Not to worry." I created a few platforms made of earth, and kept them floating using wind. We left with about 8 full bags of gold, jewels, and weapons.

"How did we make out?" She asked, teleporting back to the ship and carrying them aboard.

"About 700 Million Berries."

"Nice!" We stored it all in the ship's treasure storage before we went to bed.

 **X**

Nami yawned, waking up. She stretched and went to take a shower. When she got out, she went to the front deck, where we were, sleeping.

"Hm? You two are sleeping out here?" she asked, waking us up.

"Uh? Oh, yeah, I guess we dozed off. We were tired from last night."

"Why? What happened last night?"

"We had a mission to capture a fort that Red took control of."

"What was your kill count?" Zoro asked, walking out. 

"27, I think." Christina said. "I don't know, I don't keep track of how many targets I take down. There's too many to count."

"That's okay, I do. It's my job to keep track of these things as the second-in-command." I said. She looked at me.

"Well?"

"You and I have been allied with Dragon for over 20 years now, and we've both gone on a lot of missions, whether for the Brotherhood or simply for the Revolutionaries. You've taken out about 3,500 people in that time." The rest of the Straw Hats became bewildered.

"Not bad, I guess. What about you?"

"3,700."

"Still ahead of me, huh?" she sighed.

"Only by 200, it's not that huge of a difference."

"200 is 200. And what's Dragon's kill count?"

"About 4,000. But he doesn't do field work as often as we do, so it's slowed down in the recent years."

"...Nami, we left you a present in the Treasure room from last night."

"What is it?" she asked.

"700 Million Berries in gold, jewels, and weapons."

"WHAT?!" she screamed with berri symbols in her eyes. She ran off to the treasure room before coming back and giving Christina a giant hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

"No problem!"

*bada bada bada bada bada kacha*

"Yeah?" I answered my snail phone.

"How did it go?"

"Oh, Dragon. Success."

"Good. I have something that you may want to see. Come to Zou."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out. But it's well worth your time, I assure you."

"...Alright. I'll be right there." I stood up and teleported away.

 **X**

"Well? What did you want me to see?" I asked, walking into the archives. Dragon brought me over to the computers. He pulled up a page with a young marine with black hair shown in the picture.

"That looks like Ryokugyu."

"That's because it is. We discovered some more information about him and his research on the Pieces of Eden."

"What kind of information?"

"Well first of all, his real name was Ryota Amachi. He was born in the North Blue, with his parents being from the Grand Line. Apparently, his grandparents were Celestial Dragons, but they left Mariejois and the Grand Line, as they didn't wish to remain members. They grew up to despise the Celestial Dragons. During his years as a young adult, his parents revealed that his grandfather had stolen one of the prized possessions of Mariejois, the Piece of Eden known as the Order Order Fruit. The other one was the Chaos Chaos Fruit, which Fisher Tiger stole when he broke out from being a slave before giving it to you. Anyways, before Ryota actually ate the fruit, he decided to study it and see what he could find about it."

"And I'm guessing that he wasn't too successful?"

"No, he wasn't. After all, most people aren't until they actually eat the fruits. That was the case with CP9 too. They didn't know their powers before they ate them. Hitting a dead end, he decided to simply eat it and do research on it after he was made fully aware of his abilities. This second time was more successful, and his research led to an interesting discovery about the Piece of Eden Devil Fruits. The powers are interchangeable."

"And what does that mean?"

"You said it yourself, didn't you? There are devil fruits that are opposite counterparts. Sabo's Flame Flame Fruit is weak to Arlong's Wave Wave Fruit. His fruit is weak to Mihawk's Rumble Rumble Fruit. And that one is weak to the Crush Crush Fruit. The Magma Magma and Chill Chill Fruits, the Glint Glint and Dark Dark Fruits. There's a cycle to these devil fruits. The same way that the Chaos Chaos and Order Order Fruits are strong and weak against each other. The same goes for the Sun Sun and Moon Moon Fruits."

"What are you trying to say Dragon? Get to the point already."

"The point is that normally these abilities cancel each other out with a few exceptions depending on the element. And with the way that Devil Fruits work, only the Dark Dark Fruit allows for absorption and use of two simultaneous abilities, unless you have a huge mental and physical capacity like myself or Ryota. The Pieces of Eden are different."

"Don't tell me…!"

"Yes. When I said interchangeable, I really meant it. The Order Order Fruits and Chaos Chaos Fruits may be opposites, but they are made to be used together, hence the user can consume both. The same goes for the Moon Moon and Sun Sun Fruits. I'm willing to bet that was the reason that he was hunting you and Christina down. If he had killed you, he would have eaten the Chaos Chaos Fruit too. And then, if he killed her, and invaded our base, he could also eat the other two, essentially giving him five devil fruits. He would have been unstoppable, regardless of whether or not he had two admiral transformations and was a sage. Thankfully, you killed him before he had that chance. He was probably furious when you came back to life the first time you faced him."

"..."

"In any case, here." He handed me a box that was locked.

"What's in it?

"All of the Devil Fruits from the conflict that respawned. I sent Sabo and Koala out to retrieve them. In that box is the Order Order, Sun Sun, Glint Glint, Magma Magma, Dark Dark, Tremor Tremor, and Crush Crush Fruits. Keep them safe, and I want you and Christina to eat the first two. The others you can give to your crew if you want."

"I don't think they want them. They all want to keep their ability to swim."

"I see. Well, in any case, make sure you guard them well."

"I will." I teleported away.

 **X**

I appeared back on the ship.

"What's with the box?" Christina asked. I set it down on the table where she was sitting and unlocked it. I reached in and pulled out an orange-red spiky fruit covered in sun swirls. I handed it to her.

"Here. A present from Dragon. Eat it."

"..." I pulled out the other one, a completely round fruit that was pure gold, and covered in spheres, not swirls. She looked at me.

"That…..Is it okay to eat it?"

"Yeah. Your's too. Turns out he did a lot of research on these fruits, and they can be eaten by a single person and used together. I took a bite out of it, and she did the same.

"Now then…" I said, finishing the fruit. The others walked over.

"Do you guys want any of these?" I asked, opening up the rest of the box and displaying the other 5 fruits.

"Which powers?" Zoro asked.

"Light, Darkness, Magma, Earth, and Tremors. Take your pick if you want one."

"I think we're all fine. We don't want to lose our ability to swim." Zoro said for everyone. Nami stared at them for a moment.

"...No, he's right. As much as it would be nice to have more power, I still want to swim."

"Alright." I shrugged, locking up the box and putting it in the treasure room. We got off the ship and went to the inn again.

"What's with this place? It's empty." I said.

"There's a note on the counter." Christina picked it up.

"Went to the resort off the coast of the island. Be back later, Yadoya."

"Resort?" Zoro asked.

"That sounds like Raften…" Luffy told me. I sighed and walked out, the others following me.

"I guess I'll have to fight him again."

 **X**

"Why don't you guys stay on the resort and let us take care of this?" I told them.

"Why? We can help you!" Luffy protested.

"This fight is personal to us. Let us do it ourselves. Please." Christina told him.

"...Luffy, they'll be okay." Nami said. We walked towards the Coliseum.

 **X**

"Well, well, look who showed up. And by themselves, I see. Have a deathwish today, do we?"

"Not quite. The moment Red decided to put you by yourself, you lost. Maybe if someone else was with you, you might have a chance. But the two of us against you? There's no way you can win." I told him.

"Oh really?" he smirked. "Tell me, do you know why I lost last time?"

"Because I overpowered you in my 3rd phase of Demon Mode."

"Yes. And as to the reason why I was overpowered?"

"Where are you going with this?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. He started pacing across the coliseum.

"I'll admit, that form came as a surprise to me. I watched you activate the 1st phase at Marineford, and the 2nd at Dressrosa, so I was prepared. But the 3rd one, you used on me when I thought I knew everything about your abilities. However, even though I was unprepared, I can assure you that Aita's Armor is stronger than Phase 3."

"I find that hard to believe. Remember how weak you were last time?"

"And have you forgotten that I had already transformed twice and used up a huge amount of haki before using it?"

"...Oh."

"Exactly. I was already in a weakened state when I put it on. But now, using it from the very beginning. I wonder how strong I'll be…Aita's Judgement: Armor of the Order!" His eyes changed color to yellow and gray, and his admiral uniform was replaced by a golden suit of armor with a red cape.

"I suppose we might as well just attack. We won't get anywhere with sneak attacks.

"Yeah."

"Demon Mode: Phase 2!"

"Moon Goddess Form: Selene's Judgement!" We rushed at him, but be blocked both attacks with his hands. I put my other hand on the first and flipped up, trying to kick him, but he ducked and threw Christina at the wall. He used his other hand to knock me against the other wall.

"Moonlight Damnation!" A giant pillar of moonlight plummeted down onto Ryokugyu, who merely stood there with his arms crossed.

"Damn it…!"

"Chaotic Pandemonium Fishman Karate: Nine Circles of Hell. First Circle: Limbo!" I began my progression and kicked Ryokugyu in the chest, but he didn't get hurt at all. At this point, he was just taking our attacks head-on.

"Second Circle: Lust!" I charged up chaos electricity on my foot and kicked him upwards on the chin, but he still wasn't fazed.

"Third Circle: Gluttony!" I jumped above him and inflated my leg with water powers, sending it down to the gold admiral. He blocked it with his arm.

"Fourth Circle: Greed!" I spin kicked him, but he once again dodged it by stepping back.

"Fifth Circle: Anger!" I blasted a Samegawara Seiken with fire at him, but he separated the flames by holding his hand into the blaze.

"Sixth Circle: Heresy!"

'This will get him.' I charged up haki and chaos on my fist, and punched him straight to the face. It sent out an internal shockwave through his body.

"Done yet?" he asked, looking down with half-lidded eyes.

"That's impossible! That attack should have-!"

"Been able to hurt me? I heal wounds faster than you can make them."

"Demon Mode Phase 3! Sixth Circle: Heresy!" I punched him again, and the shockwave this time made him grimace and cough up blood.

"Looks like you're still not as strong as you think you are. Seventh Circle: Violence!" I flew back and forth slicing up Ryokugyu's armor with my wind powers.

"Eighth Circle: Fraud!" I punched his forehead again, causing his eyes to roll back into his head, and sending him flying. I teleported directly above him and fell towards him.

"Ninth Circle: Treachery!" I charged up my fist with all of my energy, and plunged it through his armor, chest, and out the other side.

"Well done." he clapped, standing over on the side, where I wasn't.

"A clone?!" I landed on the ground, while the man I punched dispersed into light particles.

"If you recall, clones have half of my power. So that same progression won't work on the real me, Phase 3 or not."

"Moon Goddess Form 2: Tsukuyomi's Punishment! Luminescence Retribution!" Christina used her powers to make him explode. But that one was a clone as well and the real one appeared in front of her.

"Phanes' Judgement: Golden Laser of Redemption!" Ryokugyu blasted a golden beam from his hand that heavily injured Christina and knocked her out of her transformation.

"Damn you!"

"I don't understand why you're so angry. I mean, you've already defeated the real me."

"It won't matter if we did or not if you kill us both here! Then we'll be gone for good!"

"Precisely." he said darkly. "Apollo's Judgement: Celestial Punch of Destruction." He punched me across the arena.

"Damn it…"

'Last time, I used these moves on a giant opponent. This time, I'll have to alter them a little.'

"Chaotic Anarchy Fishman Karate: Seven Terraces of Purgatory! First Terrace: Pride!" I appeared behind him, kicking him onto his stomach, and then jumped up, falling down onto his back with my earth powers.

"GRGGHHH!" He was noticeably hurt by this.

"Second Terrace: Envy!" I created lightning clouds that blasted lightning into his ears, electrocuting his entire body.

"Third Terrace: Wrath!" I blasted fire and wind into his eyes, creating smoke, so he couldn't see.

"Fourth Terrace: Sloth!" I imbued myself with lightning and quickly ran over to him, continuously stomping my feet into his back at super speeds. His armor was beginning to crack.

"Fifth Terrace: Covet!" Now I switched to my earth powers and continuously punched the armor.

"Sixth Terrace: Gluttony!" I kicked him onto his back, raised my foot above my head and stomped down, full force.

"Seventh Terrace: Lust!" I put my hands onto the armor and blasted fire through his entire body, shattering it and burning his body.

"Graghh….that was pretty good." he laughed, getting up slowly. "Haki Healing." He healed himself.

"But as long as that progression only brings me to near death, I can heal myself indefinitely. So unless you've got something better, you can't beat me."

I smirked.

"You do, don't you."

"Chaotic Anarchy Fishman Karate: Ten Spheres of Heaven. First Sphere: The Moon, The Inconstant." I shaved in front of him and kicked him up into the air, high up. I launched myself up there and continuously spin kicked him into the ground, becoming like a rotating saw.

"Second Sphere: Mercury, The Ambitious." I covered myself in fire, and rushed up to him, punching him with a powerful barrage of flaming fists.

"Third Sphere: Venus, The Lovers." I charged the fire even more, changing its temperature and making it white. I blasted it towards him, and then roundhouse kicked his head, making him crash into the ground.

"Fourth Sphere: The Sun, The Wise." I heated the fire even more, turning it blue. I delivered a series of powerful punches and kicks to him, burning his body even more.

"Fifth Sphere: Mars, The Warriors of the Faith." I dispersed the fire, and instead dealt a series of powerful blows with my earth powers. He was finally almost at his limit.

"Sixth Sphere: Jupiter, The Just Rulers." I created a giant formation of clouds, giving me much stronger wind powers. I hardened my arms and began slicing through his body instead of just punching it.

"Seventh Sphere: Saturn, The Contemplatives." I combined my earth, fire, and wind powers, and then slammed my hands on the ground, causing it to rupture. The coliseum was destroyed, and lava from underground shot up in geysers.

"Eighth Sphere: The Fixed Stars, Faith, Hope, and Love."

'Here goes nothing.' I deactivated my chaos powers and instead relied on my other, new devil fruit.

"What?! Don't tell me you ate it!" Ryokugyu was now furious.

"God Mode." My body became surrounded in a haki cloak, like in Demon Mode, but was now golden and brimming with power. I concentrated the power into a few small particles and sent them towards him. They grew in size and went straight through his torso, making him bleed even more.

"Ninth Sphere: The Primum Mobile, The Angels." I created a spinning sphere that had nine layers to it, and sent it towards him. It went through him and vaporized him.

"NOT YET!" he yelled. His last remaining power took the form of a golden spirit even though his body was gone.

"You can't beat me in this state! I no longer have a body for you to hit! All of your attacks will go right through me, whether you have my powers or not.

"Well that's just fine. The Primum Mobile is the last sphere of the physical universe. meaning that the tenth sphere goes beyond a physical attack."

"W-WHAT?!"

"Tenth Sphere: Empyrean, The Trinity. This is not quite an attack. It is a vision. But upon seeing this vision, all remnants of your body and spirit disappear, and you can never exist again."

Ryokugyu suddenly saw himself in a place of blinding light. He started floating forward on his own. He saw an enormous rose where angels and various other historical figures were living. He flew further.

"What...is this….?" He saw three large circles. All he heard were three different voices.

"In the name of the Father…"

"The Son…"

"And the Holy Spirit…"

"BEGONE FROM THIS WORLD!" the voices all shouted in unison.

"Disappear into nothingness." I said, looking on as his spirit dissolved. I went over to Christina and healed her.

"Let's go. We're done here."

"Damn it. And I didn't even get to try out my new powers." We left the coliseum.

 **X**

"I think it's about time that Red be fought himself. After that creation, I imagine he doesn't have too many more up his sleeve." I said, sitting at the bar of the inn with the others.

"Pato. Don't you know when he shows up? You're kind of connected with him in a way, right?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah...He's here in town." It was nighttime now. "If I can just hit him...Hit him with my true feelings...I hope you guys come, too. I want you to see it. I'll do what I can to knock some sense into him."

"Just give it everything you've got!" Luffy encouraged.

"Thanks, Luffy! I'll do my best! Nukiki!" We left the inn and went to the town square.

The moon was red tonight, and there were dark clouds partially covering it.

"Boss!" Pato called up to Redfield, who was standing at the top of the town hall.

"What? Are you still here?" He asked.

"This little one here...he has something he wants to tell you!" Nami called up.

"...It's time for my meal. Can't you just let me eat in peace?" He threw down a bunch of leaves. All of the opponents we had faced were standing there again, including false Straw Hats.

"It's all up to you! We'll clear the way!" Luffy shouted out. We ran towards all of our opponents. Zoro took down Hody while Brook fought Smoker and Franky fought Kizaru.

"Boss! I understand now! You can't just leave me!"

"Green Star!" Usopp took down Caesar and the false Brook. Robin took down Aokiji, and Sanji defeated Akainu.

"I'm not a tool, I'm an ally!" Pato called out. Luffy defeated his copy and the dragon simultaneously. Pato ran up the dragon's body and jumped to the rooftop, but the dragon came to and tried to eat Pato. Zoro quickly ran up and sliced it in half.

"That's why I'm begging you, boss! Please take me back!"

"The task of becoming Pirate King requires a certain amount of 'resolve.' The Pirate King Gol D. Roger, and the next best thing to him, Edward Newgate...Shiki the Golden Lion, Sengoku the Buddha, and the Hero Garp...The now old men who paved the way for the Great Age of Pirates...I've had to give up many things to surpass them. Sympathy and generosity...All of my obligations...Pato...please try to understand...Having you at my side was just another weakness to overcome."

"Boss…"

"I gave up generosity...I gave up sympathy...And then, I gave you up…"

"Now, I'll finally be able to obtain what I've sought for so long. Bat Bat Fruit, Model Vampire…" He held a purple devil fruit in his hand.

'Vampire? Eternal Youth, huh? Can't wait to see how he screws this one up.' I sighed. He took a bite out of the fruit before tossing it to the ground.

"Now I will become an immortal vampire and give up the very last thing I have left to give…" He was surrounded in a red aura before teleporting in front of Pato and kicking him in the neck, sending him crashing into a building across town.

"My humanity." he grinned.

"Pato!" Chopper cried out.

"Red!" Luffy yelled angrily, rushing towards him and punching, but it missed. He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Where are you?! Show yourself!" He appeared again at the docks holding Yadoya. He bared his fangs and bit into her neck, killing her. He now appeared in his vampire form.

"What did you do to her?!" Sanji yelled.

"I feasted on her youth, of course! That what vampires do! Hahahaha! It's back! The power from when I was young! The power taken from me with age! If only they could see me now! Those great men who succumbed to age! This has turned back the clock for me! Returned me to my old self!"

"You...I'll never let you get away with this!" Red used a variety of techniques like wind slashes and physical moves, but his powers mostly relied on darkness.

"Are you ready?" Christina asked me.

"Yeah. God Mode!"

"Sun Goddess Form: Helios' Judgement!"

"Roger, Newgate...With them around, I gave up my ambitions and decided to live out my days at Impel Down."

"That's pointless!" I yelled at him. "That doesn't mean there's no hope to achieve your own dreams!" We started attacking him but he still dodged.

"But then Roger was executed and Newgate severely weakened by age! I'll be the one who finishes what they started! This body will never know age! I'll be the true king and reign over all pirates!"

"You know nothing." Luffy growled.

"What did you say?"

"Age doesn't matter! Old man Whitebeard was strong...Far stronger than you are now!"

"Don't be silly! He wasn't even a shadow of what he was in his prime! There's no way that me and my powers of immortality are inferior to him! And I spoke not only of Newgate. Sengoku and Garp retired when their abilities faded with age. A youngster who hasn't once been old knows nothing of what it's like!"

"Then show me what it's like. Show me what it's like to be old."

"No! Luffy!" Zoro called out. I stopped him while Christina and I deactivated our transformations.

"This I can do! Here's a taste of what it's like! This is what it's like to be old!" He grabbed Luffy by the throat and began draining his life force. His hair turned gray and his clothes' color faded.

"You do understand that you'll lose your powers, right? Your strength and energy will all be repossessed...Not to mention your dreams, Straw Hat!" He threw him into a nearby building. But he stood up again and began walking towards him.

"Even if I age...I'm made of rubber...you won't hurt me…"

"Liar!" He ran up to him and punched him back. "Your body doesn't move like you want it to. One by one you become unable to do the things you once could…" Luffy walked towards him again, but Red knocked him back.

"No matter what you're able to dream up, your body will ultimately let you down! Your hopes and dreams then shatter!" He wasn't even giving Luffy a chance anymore, he was just knocking him back over and over again.

"In time, you begin to accept your age and give things up in return...As you slowly creep closer to death."

"I guess you didn't hear me...Age doesn't matter!" He was now hitting Red back, but it wasn't hurting him at all.

"Did Old man Whitebeard ever give up on anything?! He kept on fighting no matter how many wounds he endured! He never gave up until the day he died!" Red knocked him back again.

"He saved Ace! He never gave up on anything!" Red went to punch him once more, but this time Luffy caught it.

"And it's not only Whitebeard...There's Rayleigh as well…! Unlike you, he never uses his age as an excuse to give up on what matters! Somebody who gives up as easily as you...Could never surpass the likes of those 'old men!'" He threw Redfield's punch to the side.

"I'd never cast my friends aside! That's why you'll never be able to defeat me!"

"Now there's a theory...do you really think it will hold true?!" They clashed punches, but Luffy overpowered him and punched him in the jaw, sending him crashing into a building.

"Hold true…? I don't know...What I do know is that I'll never give up like you do...No matter how wrinkled and old I get...No matter how little I'm able to move...I won't give up on my dreams for as long as I live! Somebody like you who gives up on their own dreams...Has no right to steal the dreams of others!" Pato ran to Red's side.

"Don't deny my boss his dream! Boss...It's as you always say...The idea of dying a mere shadow of your former self like that is horrible...That's why my boss was so easily able to give up everything that matters most to him!"

"...You've said enough." Red stood up, smiling.

"Boss!"

"With borrowed youth, I was trying to chase borrowed dreams...It's just as this man says…" He walked up to Luffy and restored his youth.

"Am I...back to normal?"

"It's true that I had been giving up...I gave up my dreams out of the fear of entrusting them to others...Though the death and retirement of the oldtimers re-ignited a fire in me, I succumbed to my age and gave up yet again. Instead of focusing on what matters most, I chose the easy way out, going so far as to gain eternal youth." He walked over to Yadoya and restored her life as well.

"You've opened my eyes, Straw Hat. Pirate King...Achieving something with borrowed dreams and borrowed youth is no achievement at all. Therefore, I make this vow!" He had gone back to his normal form. "From this point on, this ugly old pirate you see before you will surpass Newgate, Roger, and everyone else! Even if I have to do it alone, I will become the Pirate King!" He released a gust of wind that blew the red and gold captain's coat the copy Luffy was wearing into the air.

"Even if...he's alone…? No! You're not alone! One man and one racoon!" Pato ran to his side. "I, too, will make a vow! I will stay at your side and protect you to the end! I don't care how many times I'm cast aside! You can kick me away, you can punch me away, but you can't stop me from following! I, too, will never give up on my dreams!"

"Hmph...Such brazen words...Looks like I taught him a bit too well...huh, Straw Hat?"

"Shishishi."

"There you have it, Pato. One man and one racoon. Our first step on a new quest! Perhaps we'll make that our flag! Straw Hat Pirates. We will defeat you, and leave our mark on the world yet again!"

"That's the spirit! But you'll never beat me! The one to become Pirate King is me!" He grabbed the coat from the air and draped it on his shoulders.

"We'll muster all our strength to defeat you. One final attack!"

"Alright, come on!" Red surrounded himself in a red gust of wind and prepared his umbrella. Luffy hardened his arm. They flew at each other and clashed. They were even for a few seconds, but in the end, Redfield was sent flying back, but he smiled. He fell onto the ground, and Luffy stood over him, panting. Red stood up, but fell to his knees again.

"The gap was too great to overcome…" he said, putting his hand on Pato's head. "Right now, there's a limit to what we can do."

Everyone said their final words to Red before getting back on the ship. Mostly about if they ever need a master swordsman, shipwright, etc. or in Nami's case, not to steal any of her treasure. The only ones left were Brook, Luffy and I.

"I just remembered something about you." he said, walking up to them. "The name Pato...It was your nickname when you were just starting out, right? Patrick Redfield. Giving your own name to this raccoon makes him almost like a child to you. I was pretty certain from the start that you wouldn't just abandon him."

"Hmm...What surprises me is just how different you look...Humming Brook."

"Yohohoho!" He tipped his hat and walked back to the ship.

"And what of you?" he asked me.

"I don't know...I'm not in the same boat as you. I've already achieved my dream, so the least I could do is help them achieve theirs. Red. If you're growing older, then you just have to achieve your goals that much faster, right?" I smiled.

"Heh…" I walked away as well, leaving him with Luffy.

"I'm still going to become the Pirate King." he said with a serious face.

"We'll see about that next time we meet! Straw Hat."

"Shishishi! Yeah. See you around!" He got on the ship with us. Red watched us sail off into the horizon.

"They're gone, Boss…"

"Yeah."

"They were a strange bunch."

"They were."

"I'm frustrated, Boss. I'm...going to get stronger!"

"That's the spirit! From this point on, this is where our dream begins. He was an interesting fellow. Newgate, you've handed the rudder over to us...Roger, the way you wore your straw hat...He reminds me of you."

 **X**

"So now what?" Luffy asked. I sat down on the railing outside with everyone.

"It's not up to me." I shrugged, smiling. "Isn't this why you wanted to become Pirate King in the first place? To have total freedom?"

"I guess so. Then let's set sail for the closest island! We'll make our way back to Raften!"

"Heh." I smiled.

"Well, Luffy. Now that the Templars and Marines won't cause us too much trouble, there's not much stopping you from achieving your own dream. Ready to go?"

"Yeah! Let's do it! To become Pirate King and Queen!" He pulled Nami close to him, making her blush.

"We'll have to fight Big Mom and Kaido too, you know."

"Let them come! I'll just beat them up too!" I laughed.

'You had a hell of a son, Dragon.'

 **The End.**

 **Done! Unless, of course, you want me to go through the current manga arcs too. Your choice, let me know. Thanks for sticking around for this long guys! In the meantime, I'll be working on Princess of Alvarez as each new Fairy Tail chapter comes out every Monday. Check that out if you want. Peace!**


End file.
